Kentish Express Ashford & District
Kindness amid chaos for stranded drivers
Inventive villagers ensured truckers stuck in Operation Stack didn’t go hungry - by lowering bags of food to them from bridges over the M20.
Kind-hearted residents from Mersham used a rope and bags for life to deliver goods including beans, fruit and sweets to stranded lorry drivers.
And husband-and-wife team Jan and David James went one step further by walking along the carriageway to dish out the donations by hand.
The pair climbed over a barrier close to Junction 10a and walked down a set of steps on the embankment to reach the road.
They were part of a group of residents - which also included Jackie and Peter Bates - who had been collecting the goods for the HGV drivers before Christmas.
On the big day itself, lorry drivers celebrated Christmas on the M20 with the army.
Some, including Russian haulier Yori Olshav, enjoyed a drink while sat in 40 miles plus of Operation Stack, while Ukrainian Dmito Bohavi was pictured cooking in his cab.
Elsewhere, train companies Southeastern and Network Rail helped hand out donations from station shops, with food offloaded at Ashford International station and distributed by the Salvation Army.
Volunteers linked in their efforts with relief teams and Kent Police working at the scene to hand deliver the food.
Residents in Ashford also helped arrange showers for drivers at the Holiday Inn in Hothfield after a German trucker shared a post on Facebook.
And the GSE-owned Ashford International Truckstop, which is based on the Waterbrook Park estate, also got involved, donating 1,000 grab bags to hungry truckers.
The food was prepared at the Hythe Imperial Hotel and Marquis of Granby in Alkham near Dover, which are both owned by GSE.