Changing Our Focus & Field Kitchens.

 

 As I leave Krakow for Bristol and home the snow is falling. I think back to the media clip I saw of Ukranian President Zelensky on the snowy streets in the capital Kyiv on Tuesday where he said ‘Snow has fallen. Such a spring. Like the war, like the spring, sad…but everything will be fine. We will overcome everything ‘  as he winked mischievously and confidently. It’s difficult to explain the mix of emotion I feel as I leave Poland. I cannot wait to see my incredibly loving and understanding wife and children but I am struggling to leave as so much of my heart remains with the women and children fleeing terror, those in Ukraine giving their lives for their beliefs, and with the incredible Polish people who have at every point supported us with kindness and practical help. I feel as if I have so much unfinished business. I arrived here a month ago not long after the start of the exodus of so many women and children from Ukraine. My first couple of days was spent in the Warsaw district of Bielany helping in the crisis distribution centre, under the leadership of the phenomenal local Mayor Grzegorz Pietruczuk.  But is was clear that the greater need was at Przemysl a few miles from the Polish border with Ukraine.  Overnight I made the six hour journey by bus to reach  Przemysl Railway Station, the hub of the refuge support effort which I was to make my base. My mentor was Ana, a Polish lady who I had met through Polish Wheelchair Rugby and she helped me as we created a refuge in a small space outside the office of the Railway Controller for mothers who were arriving with tiny babies and often two or more small children.  As I immersed myself in trying to bring as much immediate support and care to some very traumatised children and mothers, I struggled to detach myself from the raw grief and pain of those who arrived frightened and bewildered.   I quickly learned that it was the simple things that mattered – and it took me back to my own experience of supporting my own wife in the early days of the birth of our twins – it was all about feeding times, changing nappies, holding crying babies, getting hot water, and baby wipes and enabing a moments space for the mother to wash herself, change her clothes, or grab twenty minutes uninterrupted sleep, often for the first time after days of travel under the threat of Russian attack. I changed nappies, rocked babies, found clothes for children to wear. In honestly not quite what I thought I would be doing when I left to come here – but then I was never sure what I might do! My days were long and my own sleep short but I felt immensely privileged, humbled, to be in a position where I could help those who just needed some practical support and a feeling of security and hope. By the time I moved on from the station, over 1.5 miliion refugees had passed through Przemysl and along with an army of vounteers, throughout the day and the night I helped escort many frightened, vulnerable souls as they  boarded trains and coaches to their destinations, usually Poland, Berlin, Frankfurt, Prague and Moldavia. 

 

As the Przemysl operation evolved and responded to the increasing challenge of refugee numbers I sensed that there may be other ways I could better contribute. This corresponded with the arrival in Przemysl of a long time former naval friend Nick and his son Marcus who is married to a Ukranian. We were quick to capitalise on the contacts Marcus had in Ukraine and to identify the urgent need for medical equipment and supplies to support the civilian population many trapped by Russian bombardment. We needed cash and so I reached out to my friend Dawn Williams who heads up Crowdfunding and within hours she had created our campaign. As I write some thirty five thousand pounds has been raised and Nick, Marcus and I could not be more grateful for the personal contributions received. You will have seen that it has already resulted in us purchasing three ambulances and many battle tourniquets in response to urgent needs inside Ukraine. 

 

Over the last few days we have been on the search for field kitchens. These are necessary to provide pop up food stations capable of providing  500+ hot meals at a time in areas where people have lost their homes. Because the kitchens  are mobile they can be moved to where the changing need is. The identification and purchase of these has also allowed Nick and I to test the networks we have been putting in place to enable our operation to continue when we return home. We are really pleased to see that this has worked well and with all of your funding we have now been able to add four field kitchens and a further thousand battle tourniquets to the list of equipment we have supplied.  Thank you all so much! 

The great thing about supporting our campaign is that all the money goes to direct support. Nick, Marcus and I have self funded our personal costs,  supported by a number of friends and colleagues. I have mentioned before that the Polish Wheelchair Ruby team has helped support me along with some friends in the UK and many new friends in Poland. So all of your money goes on direct medical equipment and any additional costs involved such as fuel for transport.  A big shout for Rob Evans and the London Hire Company who provided Nick with a new van to drive out to Poland and which we have been able to use throughout our work.

 

I know that Nick and Marcus feel the same sense of unfinished business as I do and we are torn about returning home. But the support for Ukraine continues and we now have reliable, trustworthy networks in both Poland and Ukraine who will ensure that we are able to continue to run the operation from the UK to source and deliver relief to Ukraine. In addition it will allow us to focus more on fundraising back home. We still plan to return to Poland on a regular basis to touch base with our networks and to be a presence on the ground so we can guage and respond to the changing situation in Ukraine with appropriate support. As I write I am in dialogue with a supplier for a consignment of drugs and medication urgently needed in eastern Ukraine. That is what your funding will buy next. And if you have any doubt about the need , the image below is of a hospital which has been destroyed by a Russian missile attack and a a young girl who was shot I the face by a Russia sniper!   Thank you.