After so very many false starts it hardly seemed possible that this day would ever happen … but happen it did. Shortly after 5 a.m. Dan and Dominic set off into the dark and gloom of an autumnal London morning bound for the Eurotunnel and France then Belgium, Holland, Germany and Austria. Awaiting the green … Continue reading And they’re off!
We’ve actually got the ambulance back!
Wow - what a rollercoaster it has been since our last post. On so many occasions we thought that we might be about to leave, only for Jenny to spring yet another surprise on us ... Looking back at our last post it all seems as though we were being more than a little naive. … Continue reading We’ve actually got the ambulance back!
Will we leave on Wednesday?
In the last post we detailed the range of work that Jenny needed doing to her. Joe the mechanic at Wimbledon Auto Centre has been putting in some massive shifts on our behalf - regularly working from 7 am to 11 pm in a monumental effort to enable us to set off first thing this … Continue reading Will we leave on Wednesday?
One week to go?
D&D collecting Jenny yesterday from Paul at Reliance Ambulances The plan right now is for us to drive for to the Channel Tunnel on the morning of Sunday 16 October and we've already done a lot: we bought our new ambulance on Monday from Reliance Ambulances (a Peugeot Boxer "Patient Transfer Service" ambulance now called … Continue reading One week to go?
What on earth is a “community transport hub”
A "community transport hub" in action - Aid worker Paul distributing aid to locals in the Odesa region Right now in the Odesa region (and elsewhere in Ukraine) there are too many people - frequently elderly and/or with reduced mobility - who are not getting the humanitarian and medical aid that they desperately need. This … Continue reading What on earth is a “community transport hub”
Sunny’s arrived! Post #12
We're delighted to share with you that Sunny was recently handed over to her new home in Ukraine. We hadn't appreciated quite how eagerly awaited this would be - with children turning out to applaud her arrival and even the mayor attending to receive the keys! Thank you to everyone who made this possible - … Continue reading Sunny’s arrived! Post #12
Sunny has been busy – post #11
After her rescue mission immediately upon entering Ukraine Sunny has been pressed into helping out with all sorts of initiatives before she is formally handed over to the children's hospital in a ceremony scheduled for 28 August. https://videopress.com/v/M4qWZJKm?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true Today that meant transporting aid from the city of Odesa elsewhere in "Odesa oblast" (i.e. the Odesa … Continue reading Sunny has been busy – post #11
… and now the real work starts. Post #9
It does very much seem the "luck of the draw" as to the experience of crossing the border. Aid worker Paul's (AWP's) previous experience was that avoiding the crossing at Krakovets' was always preferable. Other crossings are far swifter and the officials at them have a more welcoming attitude towards aid. Nonetheless, buoyed by Daniel's … Continue reading … and now the real work starts. Post #9
Shifting sands and changing plans … post #4
So we should have realised that driving an ambulance to Ukraine would not be like booking a holiday ... The sheer number of people that we need to rely on or fit around, issues that need to be addressed and realities that need to be accommodated is eye-opening. Since our last post we have really … Continue reading Shifting sands and changing plans … post #4