Mum Angie’s missile terror
A mum just back from a charity mission in Ukraine has described the terrifying moment a Russian missile landed at the end of her street.
Ardfern mum-of-two Angie Bird was almost at the end of her two-week aid trip when four missiles were fired over Lviv. Three were shot out of the air, but the fourth exploded 700 metres away from the house she was in.
Angie, who was volunteering with Scottish charity Siobhan’s Trust, was shielding in the bathroom when the missile exploded, bringing down buildings nearby.
This week, Angie exclusively told the Argyllshire Advertiser how she thought her life was about to end.
She said: “I was really scared, I was thinking I was not coming home. If they’d not shot down the other three missiles I probably wouldn’t have been.
“The fourth one was 700 metres away for us when it hit, I’d been in bed.
“There are bomb shelters, but people don’t go because if they get hit and the blast doesn’t get them first, they would suffocate to death so we hid in the bathroom.”
Angie was following the two wall rule – you should have at least two walls separating you from the danger, as one will likely collapse on impact and the other will take on the broken wall and window glass.
“There were times when there were lots of potential danger, but that was the only time I felt properly frightened. I was so thankful my children were not with me.
“I can’t start to describe how it would have felt to have been there, holding my girls tight, waiting for a blast, thinking we are going to die, yet there are so many parents who have had to live through that experience for two years now.
“You hear the missiles, then it goes quiet, then you wait, then comes the awful explosion, but the terrible noise does not stop. It’s followed by the sound of buildings falling.”
Angie says she will go back to the Ukraine for more aid work: “There is still so much help needed. The people out there are so grateful – even for the joy of receiving a pizza.”
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Siobhan’s Trust has been working 24/7 to bring pizza and positivity to people displaced by the conflict.
“I went with no expectations, no idea where I would be going, where I would be sleeping, or knowing who I would meet.
“I’ve followed what’s been happening in Ukraine since the war began and I’ve done things to help from home, but actually going out there was an experience that I will never forget – the people especially.
“Living in Ardfern, the pub on a Friday night becomes a community hub, everyone talks to each other whether you live there or are just visiting. That same incredible community vibe was everywhere I went out there.
“People wanted to talk, they wanted to find out where you came from. They were so friendly and grateful that others outside the Ukraine were thinking about them.
“The big message they wanted me to bring home was ‘Please don’t forget us’,” added Angie, who flew back to the UK in time for her eldest daughter’s eighth birthday.
“It was so lovely to see my girls again and get a big hug,” she said.
In the Ukraine, Angie and other volunteers travelled to cities, town, villages and other rural locations as well as schools and military hospitals to give support, food and some respite – even spreading some joy through face painting and glitter.
Angie also got to drive a mobile kitchen truck, popping up unannounced, serving hundreds and hundreds of pizzas.
With Siobhan’s Trust’s six mobile kitchens, the charity can feed up to 4,000 refugees every day. To give your support or to find out more about its work, go to siobhantstrust.uk.