Tom quits job to help fund Ukraine hospital mission
AYOUNG Valley man has quit his job in a bid to raise money to help open a field hospital in Ukraine where he hopes to volunteer.
Tom Keir, who has served in the Merchant Navy and is partway through an application to join the British Army, set off to the Scottish Borders on Friday. The 25-year-old will walk St Cuthbert’s Way to raise money to go towards a field hospital in Ukraine.
Tom, a former pupil of Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, quit his job at Marks & Spencer in order to embark on his mammoth hike.
He is relying on a small tent and the kindness of strangers to accommodate him during his twoweek challenge.
Tom was inspired to do something to help the people of war-torn Ukraine after hearing of the efforts of Bridge to Unity, a Community Interest Company based in Hampshire which was set up by Matt Simmons, an RAF veteran who first began collecting donations for Afghan refugees last year. When the Russia-Ukraine
crisis began, with the invasion of the Eastern European country in February, Matt decided to use his contacts and team of volunteers to help those fleeing.
“I heard about Bridge to Unity at the start of the war in Ukraine when they were raising money to buy an ambulance with ZSR [Zintegrowana Sluzba Ratownicza], a Polish non-governmental organisation helping Ukrainian refugees,” said Tom, from Bacup. “They’ve been driving into Ukraine and getting people out and I just thought it was really inspirational.”
After raising tens of thousands of pounds to fund an ambulance, which is now being used to help people fleeing Ukraine, Bridge to Unity is involved in setting up a field hospital. Tom is hoping to head out to Ukraine in August to volunteer at the centre.
Tom, who hopes to go to Sandhurst College to undertake Army officer training, has so far raised around £200 through his JustGiving page and believes his hiking challenge will be the perfect precursor to joining the Armed Forces.
“Bridge to Unity inspired me to ask myself; what can I do? So, I quit
my job, bought a rucksack, some hiking boots and a tent,” he added.
Matt Simmons, who works for Airbus since leaving the RAF, said he was humbled at young Tom’s offer of help.
“We’ve visited Ukraine within the first two weeks to take medical supplies and since then we linked up with ZSR who are kind of like Poland’s answer to
St John Ambulance,” Matt said.
“What Tom is doing is amazing and we’re so grateful for his support.
“We’ve seen so many people show their support; it’s like a sense of duty and I think when you’ve worked in public service, and in the armed forces, your instinct is just to do something, anything, to help.”
During one of his three trips to Ukraine dad-oftwo Matt said he was shocked by the scenes which met him.
“We went to a refugee centre about a mile from the border and it was just bed after bed after bed with women and children sitting down staring into space and crying,” he said.
“That sight will stay with me for ever.”