KeithDavies 100
Tele-Holic
Some of you will be aware of my adventures last year with a voluntary group called EdenAid, driving donated aid for Ukraine to Poland, and then picking up refugees matched with host families here in the UK and bringing them back.
You can read about it here, if you missed it and are interested:
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/ukrainian-refugees-update-loooooooong-post.1108682/
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/two-36-hour-days-back-to-back-my-second-ukraine-trip.1109875/
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/ukraine-4th-and-probably-final-run.1114226/
For info, in total, the summary of our efforts last year was:
33 trips; 140 different drivers, 310,000 miles (over 12 times around the world), 131 minibuses, delivered 385 pallets of aid and helped 1,070 people (with their 100 dogs, 78 Cats, 1 Hamster, 2 Rats, 2 Guinea Pigs & 1 Agama).
On my first trip out, we got as far as the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the clutch went on one of the minibuses. Below is us unloading all the aid from it and cramming it all into the other 6 already packed buses in the convoy.
The blue minibus was left at Folkestone for other volunteers to get breakdown cover out to it and get it recovered. It had been bought by the group in the early days, before we managed to get sufficient momentum and funding to be able to borrow and hire newer vehicles.
It was referred to as the B bus, not as being second-rate but because it had some bumble bee graphics on its door.
Anyway, it didn’t drive again last year. It was recovered, had its clutch replaced, and got a proper service and some other issues sorted out.
And then it was ready for its next adventure…
Above: BBus ready for its 2,000 km trip to Eastern Ukraine … departure tomorrow morning from Dover – Feb 8th 2023
Load list is 1 brand new generator, 12 full sets of PPE and uniforms for fire service, 1 rescue basket and folding stretchers, spinal board and an inflatable triage tent for local disaster management. Load of medical aid and warm jackets and sleeping bags to fill it out.
Proud little B- eautiful bus chomping the miles through Cossack plains in SE Ukraine. Feb 12th 2023
Arrived in Zaporizhzhia, along with two other vehicles already donated. Feb 14th 2023
Zaporizhzhia has had a tough time of it. One story below, but there are dozens.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...at-2am-4am-and-6am-says-zaporizhzhia-governor
All credit to Richard Payne, who has sourced these vehicles and driven them out there. My drives last year only went as far as Poland. I’m in awe of Richard’s bravery taking this vehicle, on his own, so far into Ukraine.
You can read about it here, if you missed it and are interested:
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/ukrainian-refugees-update-loooooooong-post.1108682/
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/two-36-hour-days-back-to-back-my-second-ukraine-trip.1109875/
https://www.tdpri.com/threads/ukraine-4th-and-probably-final-run.1114226/
For info, in total, the summary of our efforts last year was:
33 trips; 140 different drivers, 310,000 miles (over 12 times around the world), 131 minibuses, delivered 385 pallets of aid and helped 1,070 people (with their 100 dogs, 78 Cats, 1 Hamster, 2 Rats, 2 Guinea Pigs & 1 Agama).
On my first trip out, we got as far as the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the clutch went on one of the minibuses. Below is us unloading all the aid from it and cramming it all into the other 6 already packed buses in the convoy.
The blue minibus was left at Folkestone for other volunteers to get breakdown cover out to it and get it recovered. It had been bought by the group in the early days, before we managed to get sufficient momentum and funding to be able to borrow and hire newer vehicles.
It was referred to as the B bus, not as being second-rate but because it had some bumble bee graphics on its door.
Anyway, it didn’t drive again last year. It was recovered, had its clutch replaced, and got a proper service and some other issues sorted out.
And then it was ready for its next adventure…
Above: BBus ready for its 2,000 km trip to Eastern Ukraine … departure tomorrow morning from Dover – Feb 8th 2023
Load list is 1 brand new generator, 12 full sets of PPE and uniforms for fire service, 1 rescue basket and folding stretchers, spinal board and an inflatable triage tent for local disaster management. Load of medical aid and warm jackets and sleeping bags to fill it out.
Proud little B- eautiful bus chomping the miles through Cossack plains in SE Ukraine. Feb 12th 2023
Arrived in Zaporizhzhia, along with two other vehicles already donated. Feb 14th 2023
Zaporizhzhia has had a tough time of it. One story below, but there are dozens.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...at-2am-4am-and-6am-says-zaporizhzhia-governor
All credit to Richard Payne, who has sourced these vehicles and driven them out there. My drives last year only went as far as Poland. I’m in awe of Richard’s bravery taking this vehicle, on his own, so far into Ukraine.
