A KIND-hearted Monmouth schoolboy has transported hundreds of items to Ukrainian refugees sheltering in neighbouring Romania.

Matei Vaideanu, a Sixth Form student at Monmouth School for Boys, says he was left in awe by the overwhelming amount of goods donated.

Matei, 16, who lives in Chepstow, and his father, Stefan, travelled through Brussels, Cologne and Budapest - sleeping in the van overnight.

“My father and I, along with two other volunteer drivers with their own van, set off on the Friday after loading all the aid we could carry,” Matei said.

“There was so much donated that not all of it fitted into our vans but we ensured that anything we could not take ourselves, was sent to Ukraine by other routes.”

They reached their final destination of Suceava, in north-eastern Romania, at 8pm local time on the Sunday.

A hotel ballroom had been turned into a refugee shelter in just two weeks.

“They helped transport refugees from the border to the safety of the shelter, where they could have a few nights rest before getting free transport to further afield," Matei said.
“The amount of goods we gathered was truly overwhelming and I was left in awe.

"Thank you to everyone who supported our appeal.”