TWO big-hearted friends have launched a mercy mission to rescue refugees from war-torn Ukraine and bring them to the UK.

James Baker, from York and his close friend Mike Harding, from Selby, are heading up an operation to travel to the Ukrainian border to take aid to Ukrainians and bring visa-approved refugees to the UK.

Mike, a commercial marketing manager at Trinnovo Group, and James are raising money to fund aid trips to Ukraine. So far, the pair have raised more than £7,000, made two 4,000-mile round trips and successfully transported 14 refugees and three pets to UK sponsors.

“We’re shocked and horrified by the unfolding conflict in Ukraine,” said James, a land and new homes director.

“So much so that we’ve decided we cannot just sit by and watch this happen and feel moved to help as best we can,” he added.

York Press: They also want to take aid to the Ukrainians hit by the crisis

So, the two friends decided to buy a 16-seater minibus out of their own savings, drive to the border to deliver essential supplies to the refugees arriving there from within Ukraine - and bring back visa-approved refugees to the UK.

Their first journey started on Monday, March 28, when they travelled to the Ukrainian/Polish border together to deliver supplies and collect two refugee families in Poland and drive them to safe accommodation in the Netherlands.

The group was made up of two mothers with three children as young as nine-months-old. The fathers and husbands have remained in Ukraine, fighting on the front lines of the conflict with Russia.

The duo then set off again on April 20 after another aid collection, with a mini-bus full of supplies, this time destined for an aid centre within Ukraine itself. They drove into the city of Lviv, where inhabitants were helping to house fleeing refugees from the eastern parts of the country.

With their van unloaded at a secret location outside the city, they met up with a mother and child whose father and husband’s company had turned its efforts to producing body armour for the Ukrainian armed forces.

With these two safely on board, they drove back into Poland, where they met four more mother and child pairs and their three dogs.

York Press: They are raising money to fund the trips

Driving through the day on April 23, they arrived in Dusseldorf late at night to break the journey for the exhausted families. They then set off for the return ferry home the following morning.

Now, James and Mike are calling for donations so they can continue their mission.

“We know money is tight for a lot of people right now with the rising cost of living, but if you can spare anything to help purchase aid it would be greatly appreciated,” he added.

If you can offer your support, visit their donation page at: https://bit.ly/3P0aQUh