MERCY MISSION
FRIENDS PLANNING TO DRIVE TO POLISH BORDER WITH EMERGENCY AID TO HELP UKRAINE REFUGEES
THREE vans packed with emergency aid are to head 1,350 miles to the Polish border with Ukraine to assist people fleeing the Russian invasion.
They will be driven by a group of friends from Huddersfield who all have connections to Ukraine.
The epic road trip is being led by Tim Bamford, a Kirklees councillor who represents Denby Dale for the Conservatives.
He will be part of the three-vehicle convoy also involving Andrew Beckton, Chay Rogers, Jason Butterworth, Andy Dorr and Paul Trottle.
People living in Denby Dale and across Kirklees have donated enough supplies to fill three long wheelbase vans as well as funds to cover ferries and fuel.
The group’s GoFundMe page burst through its initial £2,500 target before crashing through a second target of £5,000. The current total is more than £14,000.
Mr Bamford said anything left over from the GoFund Me page would be passed to the Ukraine emergency appeal fund.
Mr Bamford and Mr Beckton, who is of Ukrainian/Italian descent, were discussing the Russian invasion and the shocking footage of cities being shelled and people forced to flee their homes.
“I never thought I’d see war in Europe in my lifetime,” said Mr Bamford. “The news reports were horrifying – just awful.”
He and Mr Beckton decided those personal connections – another friend has a son volunteering to help refugees – made the conflict “near enough home to get involved” and formed a plan to collect and deliver supplies to Przemysl in Poland.
Within an hour they had secured two vans and £2,000 in sponsorship from local businesses.
The friends, all from Denby Dale and Kirkburton, will load their vehicles with dried food, medical supplies, underwear, baby formula, nappies, sanitory goods and even pet food.
They are still in need of first aid kits and surgical tape.
Much of what is going has been donated by local businesses.
Mr Bamford said: “It’s been a fantastic response.
“All day every day people have been coming to our house with donations. Some have done two full shops so that they can give the second one to us. It’s brilliant.”
The group’s departure has been affected by the fallout from the P&O staff sackings, which means a planned ferry sailing from Hull to Rotterdam has had to be rearranged. The convoy is now looking to leave from Newcastle.
Mr Bamford and his fellow drivers had planned on a 12-hour drive from Holland to Krakow and then on to Przemysl on the Ukraine border. He said despite the hiccup, the convoy will get to its destination “no matter what”.
On arrival in Poland they intend to link up with Grange Moor man Paul Glover, who has been operating a soup kitchen for refugees.
Mr Glover will introduce them to the organisation that is channelling aid to where it needs to go, at which point they will unload their vans.
Mr Bamford added: “We’ll be in Poland for a couple of days and at the border for a full day. We’ve been told that, at the moment, it’s quite safe.
“We haven’t considered getting stuck [in a war zone]. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
“Right now we need as much as people can donate. Whatever money is left over will be given to the main emergency fund, and that will be matched by the government.”
Asked if wives, partners and relatives are concerned for their safety Mr Bamford said: “They’re proud of us. To be honest they don’t have time to be nervous [about the trip] because they’re packing boxes.
“We’ve got people everywhere packing up boxes and labelling them up. It’s a real community effort.”
We haven’t considered getting stuck [in a war zone]. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it Tim Bamford