Hitchin has proudly flown a Ukraine flag in solidarity since the Russian invasion of that courageous country.

But our town nearly missed out on being able to show such support for the beleaguered Eastern European country ruthlessly under attack from Russia.

This was because the demand for Ukraine flags has spiked substantially since Vladimir Putin launched his murderous war against their neighbours.

However, Hitchin town centre boss Tom Hardy refused to take no for an answer and tracked down a supplier who said they might be able to help.

Hitchin shows solidarity with brave Ukraine

Our town has rallied with a raft of fundraising initiatives as Hitchin Nub News has covered in detail (see our comprehensive story links below) with so many good people providing concrete help and assistance.

We've seen fundraisers and supply drops, not to mention a spot of cyber war to curb Russian misinformation and downright lies (story here).

And of course, any visit to Hitchin town centre will provide you with further tangible evidence of support for the brave people of Ukraine, namely the fact their flag is hoisted high over the square.

The Ukraine flag that flies above Market Place is eight foot long, after town centre boss Tom Hardy sourced a specially made effort from another manufacturer.

"The first flag maker we tried had run out of Ukraine flags," says tireless Tom, such was the demand for the yellow and blue representing Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's country.

Undeterred, Tom tried elsewhere, telling Nub News: "We had to find another flagmaker who managed to make it specially for us," confirmed Tom, who was emphatic in his desire to see the Ukraine flag flutter over the market square.

Tom added that the flagmaker he eventually found had to sew the blue and yellow fabric together in a bid to produce such a sterling effort.

Representing the country that has shown inspirational courage in fighting off the Russian invaders, Tom's flag is a source of pride to many in Hitchin and elsewhere.

[H2]See Hitchin Nub News soon for our in-depth interview feature with Tom who has recently marked four years in the job as Hitchin town centre boss.[H2]

[H1]RELATED UKRAINE/HITCHIN STORIES[H1]

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