Former Town physio Dave Bingham has set up a regular collection of items to be sent to Ukraine.

Bingham worked at Portman Road from 1987 until 1995 and became close to Ukrainian defender Sergei Baltacha after he joined the Blues from Dynamo Kyiv in 1988.

As part of the deal which saw Baltacha join Town, the Blues made a trip to the Soviet Union to play pre-season friendlies in the summer of 1989 a game against a Dynamo XI among the fixtures.

“I had a real affinity with Sergei and his family, he had a few injuries which brought us closer together,” Bingham told the Mark Murphy show on BBC Radio Suffolk (from 1hr, 11mins, 52 secs).

“And when we went over there, we all as a team had a good look around, but Sergei took me and a couple of others to his house where he lived and we had a proper look at the conditions he’d been in previously.

“We just felt like it was a nice place and when I saw some of the shots on TV of those buildings, they looked exactly like the ones that Sergei was living in, so I just thought we need to do something.

“I got a note from some friends saying that they’ve got some space in their vehicle to take some stuff to London if anyone’s got anything.

“I put a little note out on Facebook, and I’m not a big social media user, and I thought I’ve got a bit of space in the back of the Land Rover, I can throw a few bits in there.

“And I’m just staggered by the response, within about five minutes I realised there’s no way the Land Rover’s going to be big enough.

“The return that people have come back with is just phenomenal, so I’ve now got a horse box full of stuff which we’ve got to take to a central distribution place.

“People are saying, ‘I haven’t got enough time to get this, can you do this again?’, so we’re now doing a regular Monday night slot at Otley Village Hall between 5pm and 7pm, just collecting things that people want to donate.”

The items needed in Ukraine include foil survival blankets, nappies, sanitary towels, first aid kits, sleeping bags, metal cups, thermal clothing, shampoo, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, bandages, children’s clothes, small toys and crayons.

Meanwhile, Anchor Freight is making part of their warehouse facility In Ipswich available as a hub for aid donations for people in need in Ukraine.

Photo: Matchday Images

Edmundo added 11:44 - Mar 2 This is amazing. Such a human tragedy but what a response from European society to a neighbour being bullied to its knees. We must support the Russian people too, as there is shock and some defiance: Putin can be ousted.
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Timefliesbyintheblue added 12:06 - Mar 2 I genuinely believe there is more good in the world, than there is bad. I have always believed this and the story from Dave Bingham just confirms this. In these times we need to stop the bickering, sniping and nasty rhetoric, come together, work together and give together to make the world a better place. Thank you DB on behalf of all the ITFC family for your generosity.

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HighwoodsBlue added 17:16 - Mar 2 As the chant in the 90s went: David Bingham, David Bingham, David, David Bingham, He's got no hair, But we don't care, David, David Bingham! Good on you Dave, well done. Great bloke.
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