Oxfordshire charity sets off on largest mission yet to support people in Ukraine
A convoy of 30 vehicles will journey to Lviv to help soldiers on the front line
An Oxfordshire-based charity is setting off on its biggest mission yet today, delivering life-saving vehicles to people on the front line in Ukraine.
Driving Ukraine is sending around 30 vehicles to the western city of Lviv - including pickup trucks, ambulances and a fire engine - in what will be its largest convoy to date.
Growth of the charity
Operations lead Jacob Simpson says the organisation has expanded rapidly in the last few years.
"We started out doing a handful of vehicles at a time, but the demand for pickup trucks, which are converted into evacuation vehicles, and for ambulances, which are used to transport wounded soldiers back from front lines to hospitals, is enormous," he said.
Since the start of the war, the group has delivered 350 vehicles, taken around 600 volunteers to Ukraine and raised £2.5 million.
This will be its 58th convoy.
Jacob said they now have volunteers travel far and wide to take part.
“We’ve got people coming from California, Australia, Moldova, Germany and every single corner of the UK,” he said. “We’ve had over 40 different nationalities represented on convoys.”
Three-day journey to Ukraine
Volunteers will drive for three days from north Oxfordshire to Lviv, where the vehicles will be handed directly to soldiers and medics.
In the lead-up to the journey, they spend months raising money and awareness.
Then once the group arrive, they hear from locals about their experiences and how the charity ismaking a difference.
“They get to meet the soldiers, the combat medics, the recipients of these vehicles, hand over the keys, shake their hand, spend a bit of time in Ukraine with them and then come home and hopefully continue to champion the cause,” Jacob said.
Impact of the vehicles
With the trucks being used to evacuate people and transport wounded soldiers, Jacob says the importance of Driving Ukraine's work cannot be understated.
“The vehicles that we deliver save lives. There’s no two ways about it.”
He also referred to a conversation with a friend he met with on the last trip, who said these acts help with morale.
"The reason that he's motivated and still alive and encouraged to fight is not just because of us, but the many organisations supporting them," Jacob said.
"They deliver aid, they give them vehicles, they give them hope."
Continuing support
Having travelled to Ukraine more than 40 times, Jacob says the country holds a special place in his heart.
“Lviv is like a second home to me,” he said. “It’s a place we will continue to support even post-war.”
As today's convoy departs, organisers say the focus is on keeping the operation running smoothly at such a large scale.
“We’ve divided them into sub-teams and we’re taking a load of recovery cars just in case there are any breakdowns,” Jacob explained.
But at its core, he said the mission remains simple: "The key thing is giving these guys the tools for survival."