DEDICATED volunteers are on their way to raising the required funds to deliver ambulances and medical supplies to war-stricken Ukrainians.
Andy Morgan, who lives in Clacton, along with his friend Bill Sharp, set up the charity Ambulance Aid following the Russian invasion so they could help victims of the war.
Mr Morgan along with his friend, Nick Stearn, put together £15,000 of their own money to buy two ambulances from specialist vehicle suppliers but they aim to take four ambulances in total if they raise the funds.
Ambulance Aid has raised more than £6,600 and the charity is hoping to receive a further £14,000 to reach its overall target.
People take part in the Scotland Stands with Ukraine peace rally, outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture date: Thursday March 17, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story POLITICS Ukraine. Photo credit should
Several volunteers have already put themselves forward to drive the ambulances across the continent, and they hope to start their journey at the end of the month.
Behind the effort is Andy Morgan, who formerly served in the army before starting his own business restoring Volkswagens.
He said: “The ambulances we have bought have come off fleet because they’ve been superseded, but they’ve been completely cleaned and sterilised.
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“When Bill and I got together, we thought we have to raise money and get people involved – it’s been a week and we’ve had a massive response.
“We’re not interested in the politics of what’s going on – we’re purely interested in helping people that need help.”
A cloud of smoke raises after an explosion in Lviv, western Ukraine, Friday, March 18, 2022. The mayor of Lviv says missiles struck near the city's airport early Friday. (AP Photo)
Nick Stearn, an auto locksmith who works in Colchester, has volunteered to drive out to Ukraine at the end of the month.
He said his urge to help came simply from watching the crisis unfold.
He said: “I was watching the conflict on the news and had that feeling of helplessness and thinking what I can do.
“Andy rang me up one night and said ‘Do you want me to take some ambulances out to Ukraine?’”
“We’ll probably set off from Clacton, then drive through France and the rest of Europe – we plan to go to the Ukraine-Polish border where we’ll meet red cross members and hand the medical supplies over there.”
Any donations to the Ambulance Aid effort can be made via www.gofundme.com/f/ukraine-ambulanceaid.
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