A VOLUNTEER who helped transport humanitarian aid from the Westbury collection point, to Ukrainian refugees arriving in Poland, has described his experiences of travelling across Europe.
Volunteer driver, Pete Sanders, told White Horse News, “The drivers arrived in Poland on Thursday 17th where they were met by a local charity and were escorted to the delivery point. It was freezing conditions at –10 degrees, but the unloading commenced and the vital aid was transferred over, ready for distribution to those in need.
“After unloading, I spoke to a woman, Sophia, who normally processes the refugees over the border. The situation she described was devastating; she explained how earlier that day, a Ukrainian father arrived at the border with his two young children, giving them one last hug before passing them over to officials with nothing more than their passports and a phone number in hand. The last image of their father, through their tears, was him driving back across the border, back into the country he loves, to defend its freedom.
“As the drivers headed away from their families and towards the Ukrainian border, it soon became evident the scale of the number of refugees fleeing the war and the increased military presence. There was bus after bus of exhausted women and children being taken to places of safety within Poland.
“After spending the night within 20 miles of the border, we made the journey back to the UK with a different perspective and a sombre feeling knowing we were leaving people who had lost everything.”
Daykin Estates of Westbury put out a plea earlier this month for anyone that wanted to donate practical items to support those escaping war in Ukraine, and organisers were ‘overwhelmed’ with the response as donations filled up three barns, a 20-tonne truck and three warehouses.
Local volunteers helped to sort out the donations. The first truck-load of donations recently arrived at the Volunteer Centre Association in Lublin, Poland – with volunteers driving 1,100 miles across Europe.
Over the last couple of weeks, Daykin Estates have instigated the delivery of over 100 tonnes of critical humanitarian aid within 20 miles of the Ukrainian/Polish border, all thanks to donations from people at the collection points in Melksham, Westbury, Frome and Trowbridge.
Pete added, “This transport of aid would never have been possible without the backing of many, including Jordan Daykin of Daykin Estates, BTC Racing, 24hr Solutions, Smart TMS, and Bespoke Freight Handling. Europe is experiencing its biggest influx of refugees since WW2, so the help we have received so far has really made a difference.”
All the aid collected from was centralised at Daykin Estates, where Jenna Micallef took the lead in sorting, documenting and packaging the aid on to pallets.
Jenna said, “It’s been the most amazing experience and I will continue to work with, and support the leaders from the other towns. My fantastic team of volunteers have worked like machines and a lot of them have tried to come every day to do what they can.
“They are the most incredible people and will remain lifelong friends. A big shout out to all the local businesses for letting me use their storage units/vans/trucks and taking up most of the parking near the office. We will now be focusing our attention on fund raising, so watch this space.
