Saturday morning had me at a Horningtops garage building with Tim Johnson and Andy French sorting through the medical supplies Simon Cassidy and myself will be looking to take across to the Ukraine this coming Saturday (February 10) on behalf of our respective towns Liskeard and Looe.
You might be forgiven for thinking that desperately needed aid is indiscriminately loaded onto vans and ferried off as soon as it is donated however the ‘Cornwall and Devon Sending Love to Ukraine’ convoy, run by Darren Tait, has become a very well-oiled machine with the organisers working directly with their contacts, in the war-torn country, to determine exactly what supplies are needed and where...indeed it is something of a shopping list!
That, of course, meant an afternoon of meticulous itemising and marking the contents of the many boxes of, in this case, medical donations which also needed to be weighed to ensure we did not overload the vehicle.
It is fair to say that some of the items we have stacked in readiness for loading really do make you think about the situation on the front line of the conflict...wound bandages, breathing tubes, stent kits, colostomy pouches and sadly the inevitable body bags...all so badly needed!
On Friday morning Simon and myself will load the van at Horningtops before heading over to Callington where Darren’s team at ‘The Emporium’ fill it to the brim with what I describe as the ‘Humanitarian’ supplies of warm clothing, blankets, personal items and much, much more.
In the afternoon we will be taking the fully loaded vehicle over to Bullers Quay Car Park at Looe to meet with the local Mayor and officials for a photo-call to raise awareness of our journey before we set off as part of the convoy in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Tim and Andy, both members of Looe Lions, will also be with us at the photoshoot to show off the locally sponsored ambulance they will be taking over in the coming weeks as a donation to the people of Ukraine.
It will bear the logos of several businesses who are supporting them and, of course, Liskeard Radio.
I will be taking every opportunity to post regular updates on our travels via live social media and, internet permitting, I will also try to present a short music show live from Poland.
Can you help us?
The journey will take us five days however we still need to fund vehicle rental, petrol and ferry costs and hope that local individuals, groups and businesses can support us by donating via the ‘Just Giving’ link below;