Latest News
September 2023
We sent three trucks to Ukraine as part of the covers project, see details in the urgent project page and video below.
​August 2023
What a month, the trucks have departed full laden with absolutely vital supplies. Healing Hands Network found the drivers and Covers Timber and Builders Merchants have been the most generous donors we have ever had. The trucks were filled to capacity and everything that had been requested from Ukraine for the Kherson Dam victims exceeded our wildest dreams. We have onboard, Rescue Vehicle, Bob Cat, Fork Lift, Container full of vital medical supplies,fridges and freezers. This was a great team effort and Rupert Green of Covers was exceptional in every aspect. Imagine donating THREE Mercedes Rigid Crane Lorries - the ongoing use for these is to be found on our completed projects page. We would also like to say a huge thank you to Henrietta Nettlefold who has worked so hard to make this project happen.
​July 2023
We host a talk about front-line evacuations in Marlborough Town Hall. This was an eye opening event and it is rare to hear what really does go on from those that have been rescuing their fellow countrymen and women since the start of the war. We have found out the Ukrainians cannot drive the trucks to Ukraine due to licensing issues, we are on the hunt for drivers to who have Class 1 licences British and EU only! We are flat out filling these trucks, so far we have a rescue vehicle and a forklift truck all donated by Covers Timber and Builders Merchants...absolutely amazing - thank you COVERS.
June 2023
Our partners Stay Safe UA arrive in the UK to drive back 3 lorries that UKtoUkraine have been so generously donated by Covers Builders and Timber Merchants. During their visit, Tim Eliot Cohen organised a fundraising event at Newbury racecourse, it was a huge success and raised serious funds for the front-line evacuations. Please see the clip below of Andrii talking to the BBC. It is a true insight into why we support these great people together with Healing Hands Network. Thank you to everyone who so generously supported us.
JUNE 2023
Critical Dam Destroyed on Front Line in Southern Ukraine There are 17,000 people who need evacuating and we are able to help. Our partners in Ukraine are headed to the area.
May 2023
Pip has just come back from spending 10 days in Ukraine, implementing our Victory Gardens project. This is the second year we have done this. This project is all about growing vegetables to feed themselves. We supply the seeds and tools and they plant, grow and eat. It is simple and it works.
Caragh and Pip are working full time on various projects including supporting a kind sponsor who is organising a race evening at Newbury Racecourse in June for UktoUkraine's benefit .
MAY 2023
Pip has just come back from spending 10 days in Ukraine implementing our Victory Gardens project. Caragh and Pip are working full time on various projects including a race day at Newbury Racecourse in June. Please continue to follow us.
March 2023
VICTORY GARDENS 2023
A fantastic initiative that allows the Ukrainians to grow vegetables over the coming months to feed themselves. We provide them with vegetable seeds and tools, local communities come together to plant the seeds and harvest their vegetables. Thousands of vegetables are harvested - it is a really simple project, and it works.
These displaced people have been indoors for months living in extreme conditions and relying on aid. This project gives them the opportunity to give something back. The land used for planting is given by local mayors and many Ukrainians have their own gardens. Before the war it was the breadbasket of Europe!
Victory Gardens is a truly rewarding experience for everyone involved. Many of us are lucky enough to eat the veg we grown in our gardens or be able to buy it in the shops. In Ukraine, it is not quite so simple, 40% of the population rely on aid. That is a massive figure. This project allows displaced people and communities the opportunity to feed themselves.
In 2022 this was the most successful project that we ran and we greatly looked forward to running it again in 2023. We have been busy since January of this year, planning the logistics of seed distribution with our lead partner - the Folkowisko Foundation, led by Marcin and Renata. With the support of our donors and HAFGB the seeds have been ordered and are ready to be distributed for planting in the coming weeks. Thank you for everyone for supporting this fantastic project - we are making a big difference!
25th February 2023
This a month in which we had three enormous generators delivered to the Kyiv area. With the support of HAFGB, these huge generators were loaded onto articulated lorries and sent to Kyiv, a mere 1600 miles from here. We are so grateful to the three very kind donors who entrusted UKtoUkraine with their enormous generators.
Due to the amount of power these generators provide we are unable to disclose any further information on where they have been deployed to. The largest generator can power a village or small town of 5,000 people - it is amazing to think we could help that many people with one generator, an enormous thank you to the donor - you know who are!!. The Rolls Royce generator, donated by Carters Steam Fair in Maidenhead had only 260 hours on the clock despite its age. It is a prized antique as nowadays they do not make generators that look or work like that! It has gone to support critical infrastructure by pumping water at a location in the centre of Ukraine. The third large generator was brand new and has gone to power a small hospital, a fantastic donation and so appreciated by all of us at UKtoUkraine and HAFGB.
All of your wonderful donations co-ordinated by UKtoUkraine have been distributed throughout Ukraine to where they are needed most – by the Folkowisko Foundation, StaySafeUA, WeUkranians, Hearts for the Children of Ukraine and Action Beyond Words. Please follow our social media @uktoukraine
January 2023
This was an incredibly busy month. The British public stepped up to the plate and donated over £70,000 which enabled UKtoUkraine via HAFGB (we are no longer part of this organisation) to purchase over 90 generators. We also asked people to donate generators which were collected from around the country. We had tremendous support from all over Britain.
A huge thank you to our generator donors – from the likes of Brewsters Coffee Shop, Dan Freeman Carpentry, R Peak, M Potts, C Pring, T Lenthall, G Van Marle (to name a few!) and even the Cotswold Community Men’s Shed who delivered us a fabulous new Senci Gasoline Generator bought with funds from their fundraiser. Special mention to Patrick Green of Covers Timber Merchants who donated 18 fabulous new Evolution generators – a huge thank you to Covers for your generous donation.
Many people delivered to our depot and many trips were made up and down the courntry by volunteers. Kevin Light and James (co-founder) did a great job draining the generators and along with George H and James did a fab job palleting the various sizes up. It was like a game of giant jenga but George’s new found skill of pallet wrapping held it all together!
A final thank you to the team at our depot – you know who you are and we are grateful to you dropping work on the farm at the last minute to dash in to unload one lorry and load another!
We delivered 193 generators to Ukraine on this occasion. Three trucks departed the UK during the week commencing January 23. We are very grateful to Ukraine Relief for their amazing support.
Truck 1 transported 6 pallets of food and generators.
Truck 2 transported 2 huge generators to water pumping stations and an invincibility centre.
Truck 3 transported 28 pallets of generators.
Truck 4 transported the massive generator from Halifax which was sent to pump water in a city in central Ukraine.
4th December – 23rd January 2023
Fill the Truck /Power Ukraine was so successful that we are running it again – we must be completely mad! Following Caragh’s interview with BBC Radio 4 on their BBC sounds programme on the 4th of December – the phones started ringing and they didn’t stop, right up until the lorry departed!. It was particularly cold in the UK when the programme went out and many people resonated with her message. The donations are pouring in, there are generators all over the country to collect and all of us at UKtoUkraine are exhausted yet exhilarated! There is so much to do to get these generators into Ukraine.
7th December 22
FILL THE TRUCK UPDATE - FINALLY…. the truck has crossed the border into Ukraine – what a moment that was. Every item that had been donated by you back in England has reached its destination. 70 generators, 4 Tonnes of flour, 180 bags of ski clothes as well as many tonnes of food and survival kit. We have been working dawn to dusk over the past 6 weeks to pull this together – now we have time to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped to make this happen!
To the team who helped Pip wash and pack the 180 bags of ski clothing – Henny T, Cristina L, Dee B, E Hobbs, Mariette DuP and Emily M. And to the teens Patrick, Zach, Thady and Hugo who sorted through bags of donated clothes.
We also had on board over 1,000 Christmas boxes which school children had made. Thank you to the pupils of Ramsbury Primary (special shout out to pupil organiser, Ted) and of Wroughton Primary schools for their boxes which Jo B from HAFGB organised. Debs B provided a van load of shoe boxes and quantities of food. Finally to Andy who drove to Germany to collect two pallets of beautifully wrapped presents collected by the FireFighters from Krefeld Fire Station. A big thank you as well, to the pupils of Cheam School, co-ordinated by Claudia Clark, for their generous donations of Christmas presents, toys and sports equipment.
We had a very special team of people in the Aldbourne Nursing Home collect and make some wonderful donations – thank you to Helen P’s team for co-ordinating this fab effort.
There was a huge team back in England working hard to gather items to fill the 44-tonne truck. We set up donation hubs across the southern counties – HUGE THANKS GOES OUT…
To Simon D, our Wiltshire ambassador and his team at the Axford Village Hall of Laura C, Rosanna H, Mary & Robert T, Lucy, Suze & Rachel and to Ludo (say no more!!)
To Fran N, our Shropshire ambassador, and her team.
To Clare J, our Oxfordshire ambassador, Ruth and Emma
To Camilla M, our central Hampshire ambassador, Annabel M and her team
To Philip & Jub C, our north Hampshire ambassadors
To Zahara L, our Gloucestershire ambassador, and her team
Maili H, our Shropshire ambassador, and her team
To our most loyal supporters – Kevin L, Becky F & Sophie de Roeper and to those who helped load the lorry for departure, most of the above and Rupert S, Emily M, Ashley G & Olena G
In a crisis moment we needed more EURA pallets so a big shout out to Walkers Logistics for providing many pallets, expertly packed in our van.
And finally to Ramsbury Brewer for the use of their equipment – pallet movers and warehouse forklift, all organised by Alistair Ewing – thank you!
Please see our Instagram for photos of all the donations THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.
The day we loaded the lorry was amazing – all of helpers and some of our donors and sponsors all joining together to see what UKtoUkraine and HAFGB had achieved in a short space of time. A big thank you to Andrew’s Meats from Marlborough for providing the most wonderful BBQ breakfast for us all (and ably cooked by Patrick G!) We all felt so proud of our local community!
We were lucky enough to have ITV West Country and ITV Meridian join us as well and cover our departure. There are some great clips on here and well worth a watch. Please click on the link – it’s safe!!.
BBC Radio 4 interviewed Caragh about the need for generators to support the Ukrainian people over the winter. We would like to thank BBC presenter Anita Anand for having Caragh on the program. This was an enormous boost to our third generator campaign. We are always looking for more donations to buy generators. Please continue to support this vital work.
We would also like to thank David Clarke at Kennet Radio, our favourite local radio station! David checked in with Pip & Caragh on a weekly basis for updates on our joint UKtoUkraine and HAFGB Power Ukraine project. As well as discovering that we are David’s favourite charity we discovered that he is a fan of Carters Steam Fair and he was thrilled to see that they donated us the most fabulous generator to take out to Ukraine!
Broadcasting House - 04/12/2022 - BBC Sounds
30th November 2022:
The lorry has arrived in Poland - James, Pip and Caragh greeted our heroic drivers Mick Brennand from Cefetra who sponsored the lorry and Josh aged 18, who passed his HGV only 3 weeks ago arrived looking a little weary. The truck had to be unloaded into a customs warehouse for onward transportation into Ukraine. It was great to realise that these goods were halfway to their final destination. Now we have to go through the customs which we know is not an easy process.
28th November 2022
Our 44 tonne lorry, so kindly donated by Cefetra left with 22 tonnes about GDP 140,000 worth of goods on board left for Poland. On the lorry were 70 generators, the most greatly needed item in Ukraine right now. There were teams around the home counties who opened their homes and village halls to collect for our campaign Power Ukraine 2. It was a tremendous effort and the team at UktoUkraine and HAFGB (we are no longer associated with this organisation) are so grateful. Thank you to everyone who made this possible and most importantly to all our donors.
25th November 2022
We have had an amazing response to our FILL THE TRUCK campaign and generator appeal. Now we will be taking generators again so please continue to donate your generators, the most wanted item in Ukraine this winter. So far, we have got 70 generators on board this truck. THANK YOU!! We have also been donated two generators one from Sweden and one from Halifax which are enormous. These generators are like gold dust so please KEEP DONATING YOUR GENERATORS.
23rd November 2022
FILL THE TRUCK, on Monday 28th November the 44-tonne lorry will leave carrying 70 generators, 4 pallets of flour, Christmas boxes for children, food and essential supplies to the Polish/Ukraine border. James, Pip and Caragh will meet the truck kindly donated by Cefetra to organise the distribution of the incredible donations we have received with our Polish and Ukrainian partners. We must thank our Ambassadors in the home counties and beyond who organised collections for us for this trip. We apologise that our website is not updated as regularly as we would wish but we are incredibly busy sorting the truck. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR DONATIONS and your continued support.
Autumn saw a big step forward for UKtoUkraine when we merged with HAFGB, a registered charity 1199500 and doing a very similar job as we are. As well as combining resources, this enabled our donors to receive tax relief and for the charity to get gift aid. We feel with the job ahead of us we must combine minds and resources to give the Ukrainians more effective support.
1st July 2022
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We are excited to announce our new projects Project Generator.
Project Generators
Probably the most wanted item in Ukraine.
We are aiming to send out 8kw diesel generators and above to allow field hospitals to run. Last time we sent 45 generators, but they were slightly smaller than the ones requested now. If you could help in anyway by donating to our fund, or you have a generator - we would be so grateful. Each generator costs around £1800 so we need to raise a minimum of 25k. We will as before deliver these personally to Poland on 18th August and two Ukrainian doctors will collect them from us on the border. They are desperate.
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Project Computers
It is our aim to collect laptops and tablets delivering them to Ukraine on 12th July. They will be used for online learning for children and most importantly in hospitals.
For more information on these projects please visit our urgent projects page.. If you have anything apart from clothing that you would like to donate, please email info@uktoukraine.com Thank you all for your continued support.
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22nd June 2022
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We are excited to announce are latest project called... Project Computers. It is our aim to collect computers and then deliver them to Ukraine where they will be used as either tools for online learning or tools for hospitals. For more information on this please visit our urgent projects page. Furthermore, we are currently scheduling two more trips to Ukraine which are aiming to depart on the 12th of July and 16th of August. Thank you all for your continued support.
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27th to 29th April 2022
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VISIT TO UKRAINE:
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Two of our founders, Caragh and James responded to an urgent call for help and departed for Poland with 24 hours’ notice on Wednesday 27th April to assist with the sorting and distribution of the vegetable seeds and tools that uktoukraine purchased in aid of Project Victory Gardens.....this is their story.....
The seeds and tools were delivered to the depot of our partners , the Folkowisko Foundation on Monday. Following a phone call with the depot we realised that the volunteers were overstretched and rather overwhelmed by the quantity of seeds that needed to be sorted ready for delivery on Thursday so we made a last minute decision to fly out to Poland on Wednesday morning to help!
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and got straight to work sorting the seeds before loading the vans ready for a 9am departure to Ukraine on Thursday. Direct action!
Two of the Folkowisko volunteers, Izabela and Dave drove us the 30 minutes from the depot to the border where we were escorted past a 3km queue of Ukrainians returning home with cars bought tax free from Poland. The Polish and Ukrainian governments agreed a 2 week tax-free window to allow the Ukrainians to replace cars that have been destroyed in the war zones.
Arriving at the border, the situation was very different from when we last visited a few weeks ago. The refugee welcoming village has been dismantled as those refugees (mostly mothers and children) who wanted to leave Ukraine have already left the country and most Ukrainians fleeing the fighting in the east of the country are now residing in the west, at least 7 million displaced Ukrainians! The passage through Polish customs was fairly easy and the Ukrainian customs was more thorough but still the whole process only took about 30 minutes.
Then we were on Ukrainian territory...it seemed surreal to be entering a war zone!
We travelled inland for a while and seeing this beautiful country, it is awful to think that in Eastern Ukraine these villages no longer exist. Sadly we cannot give the names of the villages we visited as in the news today we heard that two Humanitarian aid workers were captured by the Russians….therefore we are not allowed to give locations in Ukraine to protect other aid workers. We saw evidence of where Ukrainian soldiers were buried - the blue and yellow flag above their graves, incredibly sad.
Our first destination was a hospital to check on a donation from our Polish partners, Folkowisko Foundation. They had organised new fridges for the blood as the previous ones dated back to the 1950's. It was interesting to see a new a blood storage unit from Sweden in action as well.
It was now time for our first rendezvous to meet Olga, an amazing lady who was organising Victory Gardens in her region! We are now surrounded by armed soldiers keeping a close eye on us as we unload the kit. They are a little suspicious of us at first but after an hour or so we get smiles and a lot of greatly needed help.
Heading out to our first village with the seeds and tools, we have no idea what to expect. These people have so much on their minds, the whole country is affected even if they are not in the firing line right now. The first village was a beautiful village on a hillside, lots of military everywhere and we were asked not to film or disclose any locations. It is important to respect their feelings with so many of their families directly or indirectly affected by this WAR. The seeds and tools are distributed, endless people turn up to take their seeds and you can see how grateful they are to be given something to do, a mission to accomplish. Throughout the day we went to so many villages, every form of seed you can imagine is handed out, James gets his first taste of Ukrainian soil – being a farmer he is well aware of how fertile this land is, he can see huge potential to grow vegetables on a massive scale. It is a sort of marathon, we arrive, we drop off and on our way to the next destination, this was day one of many. Olga and her team would be busy in coming week to get this project rolling. It is something else for them to think about, the war is still in its relatively early stage and there is only one topic on everyone’s mind, how do we get rid of Putin?
During the day we met so many lovely people, refugees from the east, town mayor’s and teachers etc, mainly women as the men were either in military uniform or to old. We also went to a boarding school for orphans and disabled children. The land had been prepared in some areas and all these grateful recipients were as keen to leave and get going on their projects to help feed communities in the coming months. We planted trees for loved one’s missing and finally as dusk approached, exhausted and hungry………….the sirens went off!! Earlier in the day we had visited a damp bunker, now it appeared we would be heading underground for real. However, the charming town councillor had other ideas, he had waited all day for us was hungry and thirsty, so he looked up to the sky and thought perhaps a drink of some Italian liquor and his homemade food was a better option. Too tired to think otherwise, we followed him into to his office where we were able to look on the siren app to see where the trouble was. As this was the day after NATO had visited Putin and the NATO delegates were now in Ukraine, this was a warning shot from the powers that be that nowhere in Ukraine is safe.
We headed back to Poland, having been presented with a plaque which was rather special in the Mayor’s office, they are such a proud nation and you can see they want and will win this War.
So on behalf of the people of Ukraine, who have received seeds and tools from Victory Gardens, THANK YOU, it has been an amazing trip, we have learnt so much and we have so much more we can do.
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15th April 2022
Another couple of weeks have flown by………What are we up to now?
As the ever-changing situation in Ukraine unfolds, we must react to see how best to spend your funds to help the Ukrainian people.
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'Victory Gardens' is our latest mission!
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Some of us will spend the next weeks planting vegetables to enjoy over the summer months. That is exactly what 'Victory Gardens' is all about. The difference is that here, we could buy everything we need in a supermarket. In Ukraine that is just not possible!
Here at UktoUkraine, we will supply the seeds to be planted and grown by families who host displaced people. We and our Polish partner, Stowarzyszenie Folkowisko (an incredible organisation who work round the clock, going back and forth into Ukraine with food supplies and much more besides) will ensure this project becomes a reality. Our collective aim is to ensure a supply of healthy food over the summer and beyond.
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Did you know that in Ukraine there are no refugee camps, this amazing nation does not believe in them! When you become a refugee, you go to a reception point and then to a welcome centre, where you spend a maximum of two nights. This could be in a sports hall, the town hall or something similar. At that point you are asked whether you would like to leave Ukraine or be placed with a family. This is incredible, says so much about this nation that they wish to make their people feel at home!
Can you imagine that there are 7 million people to be hosted within Ukraine! All of these refugees become part of an over gown family, this is why 'Victory Gardens' is so important! Local councils right across western Ukraine have designated land especially for this project. We all know how big Ukraine is so we are aiming to play our part in this significant initiative.
You have heard the news, food shortages, supply chains are no longer what they were. Volunteers in Poland are exhausted and there is a feeling that this war is going to continue for some time. Project 'Victory Gardens' is going to help ease the food shortages. Displaced people, along with their host families will have a project to do and they will reap the rewards in the coming months.
We have now hit the press!!
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FARMERS WEEKLY have already picked up on this project, do read about our co-founder James Boughey “Dorset farmer leads mission to tackle Ukraine food shortage” written by Virginia Furness
BBC WILTSHIRE (104.9) are interviewing co-founder Caragh Booth at 10.30am on the 15th of April.
Please spread the word, keep donating and thank you from all of us to all of you!
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3rd April 2022
If you read the front of the Sunday Times this weekend 3/4/22, you would wonder if they had forgotten to report on the war in Ukraine. A headline but no photo until you got to page 4. We then get to page 15 before we get further articles on the atrocities of the Russian forces. Do we as a nation have more appetite to read scandal on our front and inner pages rather than learn how this heroic nation is defending itself against Russia? Should we forget those who are fighting to keep their freedom of their country or should we continue to report? There is a feeling in Poland that support is waning yet if you could see on the ground what this nation has done - you would be proud to be a part of it.
Recently I have watched "Winter on Fire" on Netflix. This film is probably the best insight into Ukrainian minds and what it was like to live under indirect rule from Moscow. This nation is just like ours; we are lucky that we live so far away from Russia.
There are so many amazing British stories of people going across with ambulances, trucks, vans, cars and horseboxes full of supplies, this is the true British Spirit, and they need so much more it. So, if you are willing to go, you should! They don't want clothes; they need food and masses of it and generators too. If you would like information on where to take it, please contact us, caragh@caragh.biz
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30th March 2022
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Mission 2, Our second mission was to raise enough funds for the First Aid Trailer, generators, food and foil blankets. Our team of drivers drove non-stop for 36 hours arriving at the depot at 2.30am on 3oth March 2022 - they must be whacked! James Boughey (co-founder) Rupert Nuttall, Ian Hepburn, Chris Barber and of course the lovely Marcin made the 1200 miles to Poland! Well done the team, some hilarious video footage and a sight into
truck life!
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28th March 2022
Mission 2 is on route to Poland. What a week we have had here at uktoukraine so many people to thank! Firstly, Nuttall Equestrian lent us their horse box and trailer, what a gift for a great cause! Then Ramsbury Brewery lent us their warehouse and on top of all that we had teams of shoppers who bought every conceivable item from every store in the land! Fleets of vehicles arrived laden with supplies. Teams of amazing volunteers unpacked, sorted, and boxed food ready for transportation to Poland! This was a massive task! The Ed White Project was a huge success, 45 generators are on the lorry right now, these generators are one of the most important items needed right now. This is on-going campaign! Dorset friend, Sophie Henderson who opened her home for collections and raised tens of thousands of £’s. This was a mega achievement in just 5 days, THANK YOU SOPHIE! And then to TEALS (a food emporium just off the A303 near Wincanton) who emailed all their customers, we gained more funds and donations - we are so incredibly grateful. This was all achieved in less than 5 days - thank you from all the team @uktoukraine!
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20th March 2022
What a couple weeks we have had – a huge thank you for all of your support! We are now up to speed on the technology front and hopefully you have been able to follow our journey on instagram and here!
YOU have made a MASSIVE difference!!
We are in daily contact with Krystian co-ordinator in Horyniec-Zdroj (Agie’s Village) & Marcin who is the director of distribution at the hub where your donations go! From there, the supplies are taken to the Ukrainian side of the Budomierz border crossing. Tonight 20th March they have put out an urgent request…for food and medical supplies!
WHY? The Russians are targeting closer to the Polish border and the supply lines into Ukraine are even more compromised and the border villages of Poland are struggling to provide supplies. WHAT CAN WE DO? We have been kindly offered a 6 horse, massive horse lorry to load up to depart next weekend, pillar to post - This will take 2.5 times our previous trip - SO LET’S FILL IT!! HOLD ON? You have raised (as of 6pm Sunday 20 March) £78,000 – why don’t you use some of that? We have already allocated your very generous ££ donations to the following:- 2,000 lifesaver mobile phone chargers - already in use (these have been sent into Lviv today!) 200 St John’s Ambulance First aid kits – already in use (Ukraine side - border) Hundreds of head torches - thermal blankets and lightweight towels – already in use (Ukraine side) First Aid Medic Base (shipping container) – purchased, kitted out and already in position in Ukraine 35 generators - will be transported in the horse lorry this weekend to a selection of Ukrainian towns and cities and we are still raising funds for this! Ambulance - have narrowed down availability in Europe, finalising this coming week
WHAT WE NEED:
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Medical supplies – strong painkillers, sleep enhancers, anything for urinary tract infections, travel sickness, burn cream, nappy cream, anti diarrheal, glucose, cough syrup, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Nurofen, anti septic cream, bandages and anything like these
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Water treatment tablets
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Food (We love the Polish – no messing about, they are very specific!)
40% canned food – meat, fish, pate in small cans (single rations are easier to distribute)…hmmmm no mention of baked beans!!
20% canned food ready to eat – soup and meat dishes
20% instant food – add boiling water e.g. pot noodles, huel, oats in a pot
10% sweets – individually wrapped wafers, bars, lollipops, juices in small cartons
5% flour – for baking white bread
5% pasta, rice, instant coffee
WHERE TO DONATE:
Axford Village Hall will be manned this Wednesday 23rd 9-4pm and Thursday 9-1pm (call me on 07919 413 394 if you want to drop at mine RG17 0PW instead…)
OR on Thursday afternoon we will be doing a massive Booker shop – so if you wish to donate and quote BOOKER in your donation we can purchase for you!!
Thank you, thank you!!
14th March 2022
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We are back and have accomplished "Mission 1"
Thank you for your generous donations and support for the people of Ukraine, they are incredibly grateful. We are so happy we were able to help them directly. It was vital that we were on the ground to make the personal contacts. Our new found friends Robert, Krystian and Marcin are inspiring. Agie from the village who is James' friend was right, her village needed support and you gave it to them!
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH.
The situation is changing daily! We must react quickly!
We would like to thank our volunteers this end, there were so many and each and every one of you made a huge difference in getting this trip together in 5 days. It was a mammoth task, each time we loaded a van we needed another one! At 12 hours' notice we got the fourth van, it was incredible. In under 5 days you all achieved this. It is such a great feeling to live in a such a tiny village as Axford and see how everyone rallied round to help. The Ramsbury community and their team were exceptional "you know who you are"! In Dorset, where this all started, we had donations flooding in too, thank you to all those who sent donations to Piddle Valley Stores.
This trip was our first, we drove for 31 hours stopping only for fuel, it was exhausting but exhilarating... we now know what the term meals on wheels is! We feel we can really make a difference as your donations go direct. No changing of lorry trailers, no theft, just from village to village.
We have learned so much, Krystian and Marcin are the kindest people you will ever meet. They organise an army of volunteers, as many as 150 work in 6 hour shifts in their distribution centre sorting out aid. They deliver hot soup and sandwiches to the 6 mile queues of people waiting in freezing conditions to cross the border. Hypothermia is the main cause of death and they have to deal with that too.
The missile attack on Sunday was only 17 miles from where we were at the border crossing. They heard it and Marcin had to donate his Ambulance to that terrible attack and now he desperately needs a replacement. His ambulance is used to transport sick people. I don't think there is anything that those two men don't do.
So that is "Mission 2" - Raise money for Marcin's ambulance. We will buy it and deliver it there. We are hoping to buy it in Germany and deliver it next week.
Each week we will be raising funds.
We will not bombard you on email, we don't have time so we are asking all of you to pass our details to anyone you know who might help us.
No donation is too small, no donation is too big.
Please spread the word, subscribe, share the link, use Instagram!
