The Chorley & District Support for Ukraine group have just delivered their most ambitious consignment of aid yet, as 5 men from Chorley drove two Medical Evacuation Vehicles into the country to hand over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On Saturday 26th August 2023 the ‘Ukraine Unit’ in Chorley town centre was abuzz with volunteers and guests as the vehicles were prepared for their long journey. Guests included Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Mayor and Mayoress of Chorley, local Councillors, local Veterans of the British Armed Forces and nearly 100 supporters and well-wishers. The cars and donations were blessed by Fr Francis Marsden of St.Mary’s Church and the two MedEvac vehicles departed to a tune by Piper Ted Freaney.
This was an incredible achievement by our group. We have been sending aid to Ukraine since the escalation of the conflict in 2022 but we felt we could do more. In just 8 weeks we raised enough money, from all across the world, to purchase two vehicles to take to Ukraine.
The drivers, Stuart Clewlow, Mike Fedorko, Oliver Fedorko, Frank Liszczyk, Andy Livingstone, with support from home by Peter Hesketh and Steve Norris, drove nearly 1,600 miles to the rendezvous point in Drohobych, Ukraine. As guests of Bishop Komar, who had recently visited Chorley, the cars were presented to representatives of the Ukrainian charity “Machok” and taken to their respective military units. The Volvo XC90 also carried the teddy bear mascot “Endure” and the Mitsubishi L200 was looked after by the mascot “Empathy”.
Although the main asset was the cars themselves, the group also transported thousands of pounds worth of military supplies consisting of battlefield dressings, first aid kits, petrol generators, food supplement drinks, crutches, mobility aids and much more. A lot of this aid has already been distributed to units in Bakhmut, Mariupol, Kyiv, Kherson and other places.
We had a great reception in Ukraine. We had organised having the vehicles sprayed green and dressed with the Chorley coat of arms on top of the Ukrainian flag. As a result we received cheers and waves and lots of support when we stopped along the way. In Drohobych we were met by Bishop Komar and Stepan Kylunyak, the Head of the local Military Administration. We were thanked for our efforts but it’s important to say that the appreciation also extended to everyone at home that has supported this endeavour. We vowed to continue with our support for as long as we can and if possible, we will return with more vehicles and there will certainly be more humanitarian aid in the meantime.
The drivers were welcomed back in Chorley by the Mayor of Chorley Cllr Tommy Gray and the Mayoress. The group showed the Mayor the specially made Chorley & District flag that had been taken to Ukraine and back and is now on display. The Mayor took the opportunity to also thank all of the volunteers of the ‘Ukraine Unit’ and acknowledged that it was a great thing that had been done to help the people of Ukraine.
