Bristol Uni student from Ukraine runs from Trowbridge to Bath with friends to raise almost £20k

• Watch the moment the boys reached the finish line in Bath.

Bristol students' who have run a half marathon to raise money for Ukraine have raised more than £19,000.

The team set off from Trowbridge this afternoon (4 March) to run the 13.1 miles along the canal to Bath.

Organiser Jake Nickerson, a University of Bristol engineering student, said “we couldn’t just sit and do nothing when people are in dire need".

The nine childhood friends include three University of Bristol students and Maksym Oberemok, a UWE student and Ukrainian national.

Maksym – Maks to his friends – moved to Bradford-on-Avon aged two and has spent every summer visiting family in Sumy, a city close to the borders of Russia and Belarus.

“All my family live in Ukraine so the last week has been awful,” Maks said.

“On the first day when everything was escalating, we had a phone call from my dad’s sister saying the ‘the war’s started’ there were sirens going off and missiles being launched.

“Since then we’ve been in constant contact with my family, but we are very worried. My family live too close to the border to get out of the country.”

Maks said the support for the run had been “overwhelming” and paid tribute to his “amazing mates”.

Jake said: “I’ve known Max for years now and his family are all lovely. We really wanted to do something to help people like them who are really suffering in Ukraine.

“We aren’t the most athletic bunch - I play rugby but my cardio is awful – but we’ll get there one way or another.”

The team will carry a speaker pumping out music to keep them going as they traverse the Kennet and Avon Canal.

People have donated up to £1,000 at a time and a local business, Creo Medical, is matching every donation.