Ukraine: West Sussex duo drive to Polish border to deliver aid to refugees

Tim Parker, from Steyning and Nick Higham, from Chichester, joined Jozef Mycielski and Ian Jamieson in driving two van’s filled with donations of money, medicines and toiletries to the Polish city of Przemysl.

Tim said: “We got into a couple of conversations with charities who were working out in Ukraine doing amazing things. Then between the four of us we said ‘come on then let’s do something about this, let’s try and raise some money, let’s try and get various donations from schools our kids our at and from various friends and family’.

“Once we started to do it, we quickly found we were becoming a very useful channel for our friends and family to give something they know is going to go right to the heart of the issue and the problem.

“We raised an awful lot of money very quickly and between the four of us we filled up the two bands and raised within the region of £600 -£700 in no time at all and off we went and drove the van east to the Ukrainian border.”

The four men set off from Wimbledon in the early hours of the morning on Friday, May 20.

When they arrived in Poland the next day, they were introduced to Gabriela, the woman running the Humanitarian Aid Centre in Przemysl.

The centre provides refugees with food, accommodation and the means to work through the bureaucracy required to seek refuge in other European countries.

It was here that Tim and his group delivered the aid they collected from their friends and family - as well as the pupils, teachers and parents at Eastbourne College and Great Ballard schools.

Tim continued: “It was an emotional moment delivering the aid, that was when we met with the refugees and the families. When you consider it was mainly mothers and children because the elder sons and the husbands were fighting in the war.

“It’s quite a sobering sight, seeing busloads of Ukrainian refugees, all women children, carrying their worldly belongings in suitcases and bin liners as they queue for food or to enter the refugee centre.”

The four-man group returned back to United Kingdom on Monday, May 23, but hope to return to Eastern Europe soon.

Tim said he and the rest of the group have been asked to fly out to the Ukrainian city of Lviv to meet the mayor of the city and the head of the Ukrainian health organisation to discuss the work they have carried out.

Tim explained: “We left Poland moved by the breadth of the humanitarian effort. Not just those mentioned working on the ground but all the people who supported through generous donations of money and aid, with messages of support, and the numerous commitments to continue supporting well into the future.

“We want to keep this funding process going and keep the momentum going. That’s what our aim is.

“Eden Aid, a local charity sending weekly aid convoys was brilliant in advising us. Please also consider engaging directly with them, they need help including drivers and goods.”

To find out more about Eden Aid click here

To find out more about Siobhan’s Trust click here

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