Jeremy Clarkson is supporting a crowdfunding campaign by a bee farmer who helps out at Diddly Squat Farm to raise money to help his friends in his native Ukraine.

In a video posted on The Grand Tour You Tube channel, the broadcaster made a plea to  his fans to help Viktor Zaichenko.

Mr Zaichenko, from Banbury, wrote on a Just Giving appeal that a friend had asked him to help them with armoured 4x4 pick ups that can be used in search and rescue missions to evacuate civilians in the most dangerous and difficult areas to reach.

He said he and wife Lucy are buying the first vehicle with their own money to send as soon as possible.

READ ALSO: First Ukrainian refugees arrive in 'very beautiful' Oxfordshire village

"We will fill it up here with whatever supplies are on the “most needed" list, and once they get to the border, the vehicle will be collected by members of the rescue teams and driven back to Kyiv where the supplies, and the vehicles will be utilised to help civilians trapped in frontline areas," he wrote.

The appeal has raised nearly £35,000 with a target of up to £40,000.

Mr Clarkson starts his video message by apologising, saying he was sorry to “barge in”.

Witney Gazette:

He said: "Victor, the bee man at Diddly Squat Farm, is Ukrainian. He’s got a lot of family and friends who are stuck there. And they need our help."

Mr Zaichenko's parents have decided to stay in Ukraine and his brother joined the Territorial Army the day after the war started.

He wrote: “We are immensely grateful to have the support of our friends here in the UK: Jeremy, Lisa and the wonderful team at Diddly Squat who have promised to help us with sourcing the vehicles that we need, and maybe find us some brave drivers who will deliver them over the Ukrainian border too.”

Watch the video at Clarkson's Farm Viktor the Ukrainian Bee Man - YouTube