A convoy of aid is headed out of south Warwickshire to Ukraine again this week in what marks the 10th ‘journey of compassion and solidarity’ since war broke out.
The team of eight drivers, are travelling 1,500 miles to deliver three ambulances and a Land Rover – all loaded with medical aid - and 2,000 Easter eggs - to help people in the war-torn country.
Their three-day journey will eventually take them to Lezajsk, a town on the Polish/Ukraine border, where a central hub for humanitarian aid for Ukraine has been established, before flying home from Krakow.
The vehicles, themselves worth a total £22k, are laden with medical supplies, provided by Ukraine Medical Charity based in Warwick and incontinence pads for care homes, supplied by the NHS as well as donations of household goods and Easter eggs from LKQ Euro Parts, Warwick Rotary Club and members of the public.
It marks the sixth such trip for retired judge Antony Cleary OBE, from Ashow, who is joined on the team by David Blick from Warwickshire Gin Company; David Maxted; Richard Kijowski and George Eden, who all make their third trips and, Ivan Pointon, making his fourth.
But also joining for the first time this year are Warwick Councillor Adrian Barton, accompanied by Paul Stoodley.
They will travel from Leamington to Folkstone with an overnight stop in Dortmunt, Germany; Wroclaw and Krakow before returning home.
Dawid Kozlowski, from The Polish Centre which heads up the mission with charity Belveder, said:
“The ambulances are too heavy for the muddy terrain. The 4x4s go deep into Red zones, collect the wounded person and take them to the ambulance."
“For me, this work is incredibly important. I’m grateful that, in some small way, we can help save lives and improve the lives of children. It’s humbling to know that the support we send can make a real difference."
“We have a connection with sisters of Saint Joseph who run a care home, orphanages and education centres in Ukraine. Household goods such as washing powder and cleaning materials, toiletries are going to be distributed around to people in need by the sisters."
“These sort of materials are very expensive in Ukraine and people just simply cannot afford them, people who are classified as internal refugees - from the east of Ukraine who are now living in central and West Ukraine and have no home to come back to.”
Over the past year, more than 40 lorries filled with aid have made their way to Ukraine thanks to the tireless efforts of the community.
The mission has once again received the financial backing of LKQ Euro Car Parts – whose collaboration with Belveder has raised more than £400k and resulted in the delivery of more than 300 tons of aid since Russia’s invasion.
Dawid, who works at LKQ, added:
“I think back to when we went to Ukraine two weeks before the war started delivering some aid to the sisters. Nobody wanted to believe that the war was going to come. We were sat in the Market Square having a nice coffee. It was very pleasant and no one was thinking about the war. And here we are over three years later.”
