HUMANITARIAN aid donated by the people of St Helens is travelling to the people and places that need it most, thanks to local contacts in our town.
Stand With Ukraine St Helens (SWUSH) is a team of volunteers and local businesses that are organising the collection and transportation of essential supplies into war-torn Ukraine.
With supplies such as food, clothing, blankets, and medical supplies donated from people all over St Helens, the team at SWUSH sent their first lorry of supplies to a refugee camp on the Slovakian-Ukrainian border last week.
Wishing to help all those affected by the Russian invasion, the team are now using their Ukrainian contacts to direct donations "straight into the heart of Ukraine".
With connections inside Ukraine from volunteer manager Ian Umney - who recently returned from Ukraine with his family - and Ukrainian volunteers Michael Birak and Nikolett Hojan, SWUSH are able to send supplies to those still inside Ukraine.
Ian, who had been living in Ukraine with his wife and son for the past six years, said:
"It's been great to see all the donations being sent to refugee centres on the borders of Ukraine.
"But using information from those still inside Ukraine, we are now sending supplies directly to those who need it most and making sure they get it straight away."
While donations from across Europe have successfully reached Ukrainian refugee centres in recent weeks, Ian said that it is those fleeing different areas of Ukraine or living in besieged cities who are in urgent need of supplies.
Aware of this reality, SWUSH's most recent lorry left St Helens for Mukachevo, a Western Ukrainian city, yesterday while a third is being prepared to leave in the coming days.
Working alongside a dedicated team of volunteers in St Helens and able to direct donations directly into Ukraine, Ian said that he is aware of the value of his position here.
Ian said: "At first I wasn't sure of my value or worth being over here while the war was still going on.
"But I realise now I'm much more valuable helping here than where I was in Ukraine - which still has daily air raid sirens and curfews."
Emphasising that the most pressing need for those in Ukraine is donations of food, Ian encouraged the community to continue donating to the SWUSH hub and to their fundraising page to pay for the haulage fuel costs.
Ian added: "Now that the shock of war has moved on and moved out of the limelight, we don't want people to think that's it and 'I've done my bit'.
"We are intending to send at least one lorry a week and want to keep the spirit of donations going.
"Even one tin of soup can go a long way."
People can donate between 9am and 4pm from Monday to Friday at the SWUSH hub at Ena Shaws on Volunteer Street, as well as GPW Recruitment, North Road, Seven Stars Inn on Millbrook Lane, Derbyshire Hill Family Centre and the Eccleston Arms, Prescot Road.
Visit SWUSH's Facebook page for updates and more about the project here.
To contribute towards the fuel costs of the trips to Ukraine, follow this link
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here