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Rotary club to drive aid to Ukraine by ambulance

Isabella VeronaNorthamptonshire
Supplied Inside a warehouse, eight people pose beside a white ambulance. The vehicle has its rear doors open and a wheelchair ramp lowered.Supplied
Rotary members with the donation-packed ambulance that will be making the trip

A rotary club's "most successful appeal" means an ambulance will be delivering clothing and medical supplies to front-line medics in Ukraine.

The vehicle will leave Great Doddington, near Wellingborough, in Northamptonshire, on Sunday on a 1,355-mile (2,180-km) journey to Kyiv, where the aid will be given to charity Mother Ukraine, which will distribute it.

The trip has been made possible by The Rotary Club of Northampton Becket, which raised more than £5,000. It also received generous donations from the public.

"It's ultimately about getting help and aid to people who need it in their most dire circumstances and probably the worst time in their lives," said David Smith, the club's chair.

Smith, who will be one of two drivers going to Ukraine, said: "This has been the most successful appeal out of all three trips.

"We have enough contributions to fill two ambulances," he added.

Smith said he had been in contact with various organisations to make sure the remaining aid got to Ukraine.

Supplied The rear doors of a white ambulance are open. The vehicle is packed with mobility equipment, including wheelchairs, folded frames and bags. A wheelchair ramp extends from the vehicle to the concrete floor.Supplied
Smith said he had not expected brand new electric wheelchairs and generators to be donated

As well as clothing, the ambulance is packed with medical and hygiene supplies, weighing around 488kg (1,076lb).

They include:

  • 12 wheelchairs, including two new electric chairs
  • About £1,600-worth of miscellaneous medical aid
  • Two new generators
  • Menstrual hygiene products
  • Walking frames for adults and children

Many hospitals and medical facilities in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed.

The money raised by The Rotary Club of Northampton Becket paid for the ambulance. The aid was donated by the public and by care homes.

"The generosity of people is phenomenal, absolutely brilliant, it makes it all worthwhile," Smith said.

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