UKRAINE 1ST - MEDICINES, FOOD, CRITICAL SUPPORT

Aim

Medicines, medical aids, food & critical support to those most in need in Ukraine - reaching out to shelters, orphanages & defence forces

We are now into the 5th year of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In February 2022 three days into that assault, our TV screens flashed satellite images showing a 10-mile line of Russian armoured vehicles moving towards the capital Kyiv. Simultaneously Russian troops and armour moved from the Belarusian border to quickly occupy the town of Bucha, shelling homes and public buildings and capturing, torturing and killing local officials and ordinary civilians. It was at this moment that I left for my first humanitarian mission to Ukraine; initially arriving in Warsaw and spending 3 days helping to establish a refugee centre in Bielany, a district of the city, before arriving at the railway station in Pzremyl on the Polish border which had quickly became the hub for Ukrainians crossing to the safety of refuges and homes in many European cities. I could never have dreamt at the time that the conflict would still be ongoing today. 

 This is a refresh of my opening page and appeal to you. Much has changed over the 4 years I have been undertaking these missions, but the need to support those in Ukraine has increased rather than diminished. If this is your first visit to my site you may  look at the target sum and the significant amount already raised and think 'job done' he does not need any more funds  - but please don’t turn away - let me explain. This is in fact my second fundraiser.  The first quickly exceeded the initial target of £40,000 by over £5,000 and so I began this appeal in May 2022 and set the same initial target of £40,000 which was also quickly met. Rather than start a third appeal I decided that I would use the Crowdfunder platform to provide up to date mission information and allow for a running total of funds raised to be available for all to see. This means that the total sum you see recorded – as of today £178,348 is the total sum raised since the beginning of this appeal started in May 2022. It is not what is in ‘the pot’. The actual funds remaining will depend on what stage of the mission cycle I am at. I may be preparing for the next mission and so drawing funds to buy aid, or I may have spent all or most of it having just returned from a mission. As for today’s update (March 2026), I have just returned from a mission which you can read about below:  ‘Winter Mission Bucha, Irpen, Kyiv and Kharkiv’ and so I have just over £6,000 remaining in funds which provides the start of my funding for my next mission, though some of this I have already committed to provide a humanitarian hub in Bucha with food supplies for the next couple of months. I usually budget for around £20,000 per mission so I am at the stage of my cycle now when I will be fundraising ahead of my next trip which is planned for the summer. For an actual update and regular news I encourage you to click on the 'Updates' tab. These not only tells you about the latest mission but  allows you to scroll down to look at earlier missions and what has been achieved, right back to 2022. As soon as you become a donor you will automatically receive my updates and will be able to see how your donations have been used. 

I am truly humbled by the amount we have raised together over the last almost 4 years. I could never have imagined we would achieve so much. We have done so because so many of you are regular donors and have remained committed in the same way as the Ukrainians are determined to regain their freedom and country. The advantage of donating to this fund is that you can be confident your money will get to where you intend it to go - to bring relief to those who need it in Ukraine. I am a volunteer, I don't take a cut and I don't have a staff or office costs to pay. I also work with trusted people in Ukraine so there is no risk of the aid you fund finding its way into a black market which sadly is a feature of most war economies.  It is well known that Ukraine still has its own challenges with corruption. I am very alert to this and most aid I personally deliver alongside trusted Ukrainian colleagues. 

Over time the nature of my missions has changed to reflect the changing situation in Ukraine and to ensure my focus continues to be on urgent needs. This means that most aid now is targeted at areas where other organisations may find it more difficult to reach. My primary focus is to raise funds for vehicles and medical equipment and supplies; things like syringe drivers, ventilators, defibrillators, surgical instruments, powerbanks and generators and to deliver these as close to the front line as safety permits. Most of this equipment along with the vehicles I take is used to evacuate both civilians and military personnel from the combat zones getting them quickly to medical stabilisation points and then onward to hospitals which may be many hours away.

  I also continue to support orphanages in western Ukraine where many displaced, injured, and disabled children are now being cared for and to provide immediate humanitarian aid to evacuees from towns, villages and settlements which become caught in the fighting.  Although many of the long term requirements of the displaced are met by the international NGOs and local organisations there is still a significant need as many families have very little income and jobs are scarce.

People often ask me what it is like there - how are the people and what is the mood? Over the almost 4 years things have obviously changed. I used to comment that western Ukraine was largely safe and if you went to Lviv you might reasonably feel that this is a thriving city with its cafe culture and lively nightlife. Whilst that has been true, only yesterday the centre of Lviv was hit by a Shaheed missile so it may be the case that Lviv also is now a target for Russian attacks. 

 In the past Lviv has also had its power supplies targeted with missiles and drones resulting in a number of civilian casualties.   Over the last year Kyiv has,and continues to experience a barrage of drone and missile strikes every night. These have increased and many more now hit residential and civilian facilities like schools and hospitals as the number of drones launched swamp what used to be an effective air defence system. I regularly go to Kyiv and the air activity, especially overnight is unsettling. On a recent mission I was sheltering with a young family in Kyiv as explosions from a North Korean supplied ballistic missile rocked the capital at 1.00 in the morning and hit a residential block in the city killing 12 people and injuring over 30. So understandably there is still a constant fear and anxiety wherever Ukrainians live. Away from the frontline evidence of the war is still everywhere. Historic monuments and key buildings are scaffolded and boarded to provide protection against strikes, missile damage is everywhere to be seen, funeral corteges laying to rest those killed in the ongoing battles are daily occurrences in cities like Lviv and Kyiv. Increasing numbers of disabled former servicemen and women are seen on the streets everywhere. Most families will have lost a loved one and I regularly hear the stories of those who have lost relatives, friends, those they went to school with or work colleagues who now lie in the every growing sea of graves.

 But it is in eastern and southern Ukraine that the war rages. The front line around 1000 kms in length is unimaginably hard. Ukraine continues to be short of munitions and are fighting a force which seems to have an endless supply of manpower which they are prepared to sacrifice, and many more weapons and munitions.  Whilst trench warfare has not moved on much from the scenes of WW1, this is in contrast to the threat presented by hundreds of drones operating in the battle-space making it high risk for soldiers to operate. These are used alongside the mines and artillery that would have been familiar to soldiers fighting in WW1 France. 

Then there are the villages and settlements that get caught up in the moving front line. Those civilians still living in a combat zone are mostly the elderly, young mums with small kids whose menfolk are fighting, and the disabled and vulnerable. It is these that are been rescued and evacuated and who are a focus for the humanitarian aid that we are others are trying to help. 

The 2025/6 winter was the hardest for over 30 years. The average Kyiv daytime temperature was -7C but for a time it fell to -20C as a siberian low pressure system dominated the continent’s weather pattern. Russia exploited this with relentless attacks on power plants, transmission lines and the heating and water infrastructure with the aim of trying to break the morale of ordinary people. Cities like Kyiv, Kherson, and Odesa were badly affected with blackouts, power outages and limited heating, lighting and water. Our work and the work of others to bring generators, Ecoflows, clothing and blankets to community points and public shelters has been vital and hugely appreciated. 

My arrival in Bucha at the start of my February mission corresponded with the arrival home in Kyiv of the remains of 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers. The fallen soldiers were brought home in refrigerated trucks, facilitated by the International Red Cross. In parallel the bodies of 35 Russian fighters were handed over to Russia. It was another stark reminder of the human tragedy that is Ukraine today. We can and we do bring some relief to the people we touch touch with our support - thank you! 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made