A COUPLE who sold their four-by-four to a man on the front line in Ukraine, who is now missing, are raising money to help.

Bill and Patricia Seabrooke, from West Dean, put their Toyota Land Cruiser up for sale in November, which caught the eye of an Englishman who was helping to evacuate civilians from the front line in Ukraine.

Chris Parry, 28, has used the vehicle to evacuate approximately 30 children and mothers but the Toyota has since been wrecked by Russian fire.

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In response, Mr and Mrs Seabrooke set up a fundraiser with wine, canapes and presentations on Ukraine to raise money to help replace the Land Cruiser.

Patricia, 69, said: “After initial scepticism of interest from Ukraine, as I developed contact with Chris and became highly impressed by the courage and strength of motivation of this young man and others like him.”

However, based on recent news, Chris and another British colleague are believed to have been caught in a Russian missile attack in Soledar. Chris last texted the family on January 5, the day before he was reported missing.

Mrs Seabrooke added: “So far, there is no news of their whereabouts but, irrespective of the news of Chris’ safety, the event will go ahead to support humanitarian aid to Ukraine. We are hoping against hope that the reports of the Russians finding a body are false.

“It’s important to raise funding and awareness because the immediate collateral damage of warfare on civilians is never properly funded.  It relies on volunteers, especially in the most hazardous areas such as Chris Parry. Financial support is needed to raise awareness of the after-effects of the Russian atrocities in Ukraine.”

With Mr Parry’s disappearance, Patricia and Bill are now raising money with a broader aim of funding front-line evacuations, through a charity such as RE:ACT.

The fundraiser, “One Land Cruiser’s Journey from West Dean to Ukraine- The Story of a Humanitarian Volunteer and Hero”, will take place in King George’s Village Hall in West Dean on Saturday, January 28 from 6pm.

The event starts with an introduction from Mr Seabrooke titled “Searching for loved ones and evacuating traumatized civilians from war-torn towns and villages in Ukraine”, before guest speakers Major General Patrick Cordingly and Robin Phayre discuss Ukrainian armour and battlefield drones.

The couple hopes to see 60 to 70 people at the event and raise around £1,000. Tickets cost £10 and can be purchased from paseabrooke@gmail.com, with all proceeds going to charity.