500 parcels are ‘big hug’ to kids in Ukraine
Five hundred parcels containing presents from Perthshire have been sent to Ukraine to spread Christmas joy to children in hospitals and those living near the frontline.
The volunteer ‘angels’ of Tayside and Strathearn Help for Ukraine ( TASH4Ukraine) have worked double time to fulfil a four- tonne Christmas wishlist which was made up of 500 present bags, 50 present boxes and multiple extra boxes of presents, soft toys, stationery, sweets and chocolate.
The 39th and 40th lorries to head from the local base to the war-torn country, both “filled to the rafters” with donations, departed Errol Airfield in time to cross into Ukraine for Christmas Day.
No space was wasted, with mattresses and medical supplies also bulking out the load.
Many of these children have been left with nothing. We hope that this little sprinkle of Christmas love will lift their spirits
Deborah Ovens
Known as ‘Project Winter’, the latest donations also saw warm clothing, sleeping bags and torches collected before the lorries were dispatched.
They also included reflective clothing for children, which is described as being essential in cities currently without electricity.
And the Christmas present bags each contained practical items like a hat, gloves, cosy socks and a wind-up torch, as well as sweets and a cuddly toy.
When the 39th lorry of aid was strapped and ready to drive out from TASH4Ukraine’s HQ in Perthshire, coordinator Deborah Ovens exclaimed: “We did it!”
She said she was hugely grateful that her team had “maxed out”, doing extra hours to ensure a token of Christmas came to Ukraine.
Deborah explained: “Four full pallets of Christmas joy are on its way to Ukraine.
“We have 250 of the present bags going to those children in Ukrainian hospitals.
“All the rest are going to those children in the east of the country, to those areas that have just been liberated, to those living on or near the frontline.
“Many of these children have been left with nothing.
“We hope that this little sprinkle of Christmas love will lift their spirits and give them a hug from Scotland.
“Thank you to our team of volunteers who have worked so hard and put so many hours into this project.
“And Perthshire Rugby Club is to be congratulated for giving the 50 Christmas shoeboxes containing lovely things that people desperately need.”
Around 800 cans of baked beans had been sent out after a collection organised by the Perthshire Scouts.
Errol and its army of volunteers are playing a huge role in humanitarian action.
Deborah said that TASH4Ukraine volunteers have averaged a lorry a week in terms of donations since the conflict started at the beginning of March.
To put things into perspective, she revealed that drivers returning to Errol from eastern Europe for more aid reported scenes in Ukraine “that could have come out of First World War history books”.