Wayne Anthony arrived back at his Queensbury home from a life-changing trip, where he saw a "picture of devastation", in the early hours of yesterday morning.

During his journey, the married father-of-two went from sleeping in toilets at a huge refuge in Radymno to visiting a hospital in Liev and delivering life-saving medical supplies.

Whilst watching TV, on a holiday break in Scarborough with his wife, Wayne saw the millions of Ukrainians that were suffering, so felt it was only right to trade in the clippers and offer his aid on the ground.

The businessman flew over 2,000km to Krakow, Poland and immediately began to help at the city's train station.

Wayne immediately started to help as soon as he landed in Krakow.

"Trains were coming in from the border filled with thousands of women, children and their pets," Wayne said.

"I was one of the official volunteers, so in teams of three and four, we moved people from platform one to the section of the station that had refreshments.

"People were there for 24 hours then moved on. We moved their bags and loaded them onto platforms three and four. We could not understand these people but exchanged cuddles and tried to communicate in different languages."

On day two, the 57-year-old hired a car and raced to the border where he ended up spending the majority of his time.

"I got to this huge site which was twice the size of an Ikea," Wayne added.

Some of the aid that had been donated to Ukrainian refugees.

"It was previously a shopping centre and had been converted to areas for sleeping and medical use. I was in the logistics area where all the trucks were coming in filled with donations.

"In the evening, the temperatures ranged from -5c to -8c. In the first few nights, I slept in the toilet on a camp bed with a few others.

"It was emotional scenes. Tons of wooden boxes were filled with clothes. 8,000 women changed into new clothes as their old clothes were thrown into skips.

"There were no showers for people to get clean, they just had to use wipes. I eventually found an Airbnb in the woods which was a bit more comfortable.

"40-tonne trucks were coming and going. My job was to unload these trucks into categories, such as clothing and medical supplies etc. Then load up pallets which would be sent to Ukraine."

Wayne was firmly on the ground helping those who had fled their war-torn country.

At one point, the Bradfordian experienced what it was like to be amongst the conflict in a war-torn country.

Wayne said: "I went over the border into Lviv twice with a nurse and soldiers to deliver medical supplies to a hospital.

"A bomb had exploded the day before so the smoke was still lingering around from that and rockets were fired near where we were."

The police and army were also on high alert, as Wayne found out when he was travelling through Poland.

"When I was driving, I had to get out and was patted down. They were suspicious as to why you were there. They would check the car for explosives.

"The Polish police were intimidating, wearing their covid masks, so you could only see their eyes. Once the soldiers knew you were there as a volunteer they would pat you on the back and be welcoming."

Queues of refugees seeking aid.

Wayne, the winner of 50 British hairdressing awards, says he cannot wait to get back to work at his executive barber's in Hipperholme on Saturday after a tiring, yet extremely fulfilling, crusade abroad.

"I met some wonderful people from all over the world and have kept in contact with them," Wayne added.

"In Leeds-Bradford Airport, I met young Ukrainians flying over to go fight on the frontline for their country.

"I met an American volunteer called Alex who wants to go back over at some point, so I might join him. I still want to try and help.

"I hope my story can create a bit of realism about what it is like on the ground. I would like to ask people to try just to do anything for those in need.

"Nothing I have ever done compares to this mindblowing experience. It felt so rewarding."