By Local Democracy Reporter Peter Davison
A Westbury grandfather who drove an ambulance packed with medical supplies to war-torn Ukraine is back home following his week-long mission of mercy.
Stephen Ryder and his co-driver Winkie Fry – a grandmother from Bruton in Somerset – were part of a convoy of six ambulances each packed with six tonnes of medical aid.
Recounting his experience, he said, “After a 1,200- mile, 33-hour drive from London through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland – in temperatures that plunged to minus 19 – we arrived in Lviv.”
Despite being 600 miles from the frontline, the city is not immune to the effects of the war, explained Steve. “Lviv looked like any other European city until I realised there were no men – they were all off fighting the war,” he said. “The people who are left can only be described as having an indomitable spirit.”
Soldier hit by shrapnel
During his trip, Steve met Ivan, a young special forces soldier “not much older than my grandson,” who had been hit by shrapnel, leaving a golf ball-sized hole in his shoulder and back. Ivan – who was recovering at home in Lviv before heading back east – was transported back from the frontline in one of the 4x4s supplied by Mighty Convoy, the British charity for whom Steve was volunteering.
Steve also met Oleksandr, the second-in-command of the 8th Army Corps, who had previously worked in construction but immediately joined the army when the Russians invaded. Oleksandr drove one of the ambulances to the front line.
19 trips to Ukraine
Mighty Convoy is a volunteer-run UK charity that delivers second-hand ambulances packed with medical supplies to Ukraine.
Launched in 2022, Mighty Convoy has already led 19 trips to Ukraine, raised over £500,000, and donated 78 ambulances and 4×4 pick-ups, which are used to transport wounded soldiers away from the front line.
Steve left the country feeling tremendous sadness for “all those Ukrainian families who have lost loved ones lying in the cold earth of Lviv.
Following a visit to the military cemetery in Lviv which was, until the war, a public park and a popular spot with university students, he said, “Nothing could ever have prepared me to see all those graves and the young people filling them.” But he also left with hope – and a determination to do more.
He met the principal of Lviv Secondary School no 33, Myroslava, who wants to build cultural exchanges, eventually leading to an exchange visit between the UK and Ukraine once the war is over.
A missile hit the playground of the school the day after the convoy left.
Now Steve – who is a presenter on Warminster Community Radio – is planning a second trip to Ukraine and is fundraising towards another aid-packed ambulance.
Volunteers need to raise £7,000 for every ambulance or pick-up they drive to Ukraine.
And they are desperately needed – six ambulances a week are destroyed in Russian attacks, while the medical supplies are vital for saving lives.
How you can help
• Medical supplies – even out of date – are urgently required, especially bandages
• Tools, parts and tyres to repair 4x4s and ambulances
• Vacuum-packed and long-life food
• English speakers to spend six to eight weeks teaching English in Lviv
• Become a convoy driver
For more details, visit https://www.mightyconvoy.org/
To support Steve’s fundraising, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/stephen-ryder-1
