Giving On The Frontline

Philip, Richie & Joey SUN20MAR22

t all started three weeks ago when their gaffer, Nicky Mac Manus, just got up off his arse and headed to the Ukraine frontline.

Because that’s the kind of guy Nicky Mac Manus is.

As Joey Morrison explained to us this evening, when his beloved Greystones United AFC needed some much-needed funds, Nicky went to work – and raised €35,000 in one weekend.

The man is used to thinking big, his company, Nicky Mac Construction, having built the sets for such major Hollywood productions as Brooklyn, Penny Dreadful and Disenchanted.  

Based at the Dwa Bratanki hotel in Rzeszow, the largest city in northeastern Poland, the daily routine for the past three weeks for Nicky, David Oldham, Willy Coster, Neil Trainer, Graham Waters and Stephen Cooke is a morning run to a supply store to service both a refugee camp in a nearby school and one close the hotel before filling the van with food, medical supplies and essentials and heading to the border refugee camp in the Polish village of Medyka.

Taking on 14-hour days for the almost 21 days can take its toll, which is why a relay system has been put in place. And on March 30th, Philip Flynn, Richie Murray and Joey Morrison will be flying out to replace David, Willy and Neil on the daily runs to and from the border.

Paying for their own flights, accommodation and food, the trio have set themselves a target of each raising €5,000 for all those emergency supplies they’ll be bringing to the frontline.

“The important thing here is, there’s no middle man,” says Richie. “The money goes straight to buying whatever is needed most, and we’re looking after ourselves, just making sure those supplies get to the right people.”

As you can tell from the three ugly mugs above, these guys aren’t heading to the Ukraine border to boost their Instagram accounts. This is all about helping those in very desperate need.

If you’d like to donate to those daily emergency runs, you can email Richie on [email protected] to find out how best to get your money where it’s needed. There’s also the option of Revolut – 0879147724 for Richie, 0877772873 for Phil and 0863809508 for Joey. And there’s a Facebook group page too, right here.

In the meantime, we caught up with the altruistic travelling trio to find out more…