J001010 - Lycetts Newsletter Jan 2024 LR - Flipbook - Page 17
On 24th February 2022 Russia rolled into
Ukraine. While the world looked on in shock and
incredulity, David and three friends (including key
player Chris McIntosh) did not hesitate and set off to
drive across Europe. Their convoy comprised a Unimog
truck with a box trailer fully laden with donated
clothes, food, tea urns and gazebos and a Land Rover
Defender with a wood-fired pizza oven trailer in tow.
With no funds and no clear plan the group drove
towards the eye of the storm to see
what they could do.
They were soon running a field kitchen only yards from
the busiest crossing point between Ukraine and
Poland at Medyka. They camped on site in freezing
conditions and were the only charity that stayed
serving round the clock to help the exhausted
refugees. David believes that if you show resolve to do
something the world will respond to help you
overcome all the problems that come your way and
this is exactly what happened. He calls this resolve
‘Positiverosity’.
chance of being in the wrong place at the wrong
time but attacks can be random, air raid sirens are
frequent and on occasion the sound of artillery fire has
been a little too close for comfort. For those willing to
take this risk the rewards more than compensate. It’s
physically and emotionally tiring work yet many
volunteers come back multiple
times and tell us that it is one of the best things
they have ever done.
Much has changed for the charity since the group’s
initial trip. A whole network of exceptional and
motivated people has come together to make it
happen. To keep this Scottish-based charity delivering
effectively in a war zone costs roughly £5,000 each
day, think of it as £1 per pizza. The team in Ukraine
consists of a core of Ukrainian and international
operatives working alongside the volunteers. They
connect daily with other team members based in the
UK and beyond, bringing their skills and resources
together united by their desire to help.
With so many crisis points internationally,
Back in Scotland a core team (including me helping
with recruiting volunteers), under the umbrella of
Siobhan’s Trust, raised over £90,000 between David
leaving Scotland and arriving at Medyka. The press
started to arrive at the border and ‘Good Morning
Britain’ covered the story. More funds and volunteers
arrived to help deliver food with love to the frightened
women, children, and elderly entering Poland after
queuing for many hours. The team had been serving
for several days non-stop before the larger NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) mobilised. While
David ran the field kitchen at Medyka others
connected to the charity helped find Ukrainians
homes in the UK and arranged for trucks of aid to
come from Scotland.
The stories shared by these fleeing people are often
heartbreaking. A group of recently orphaned children
being escorted to safety sheltered briefly at the
Medyka makeshift encampment, giving them a slice of
pizza was a small gesture when words failed. As time
passed people continued to arrive, some had walked
for many days from such places as Mariupol, Bucha
and Irpin.
As the immediate urgency at Medyka slowed down
the team became more mobile, delivering food to
refugees sheltering in schools and town halls in Poland
but we all knew that the real need was within Ukraine.
With help from team members including Harry
Scrymgeour (Siobhan’s son) and Tom Hughes (who
came for a week and has now been involved for two
years), we started crossing into Ukraine itself, first by
pushing shopping trollies over no-man’s land to the
queues on the Ukrainian side of the border, then bit
by bit further East.
Roughly 20 volunteers and a fleet of customised
pizza oven and freezer trucks operate throughout
Ukraine daily. Some trucks go further east to Kyiv
and beyond, regularly visiting places that have suffered
bombardment and recent Russian occupation.
Donors and volunteers alike embrace the spirit of what
HopeFull is doing, enabling us to reach more people.
Very few international charities are actually in Ukraine,
most pass on donations to Ukrainian charities but do
not send volunteers to the country itself. Yes, there is
a risk. The team takes advice from the Ukrainian
authorities to try to reduce the
fundraising is an ongoing challenge for all charities.
HopeFull continues to raise awareness of the situation
in Ukraine which impacts so prominently
on global stability. Our work in Ukraine has been
recognised by cross-party government agencies
such as The Centre for Social Justice yet we rely entirely
on donations to enable us to keep the
show on the road.
We have given out over 1.3 million pizzas but ultimately
it’s not just about pizza, it’s about connecting directly
with each person we serve and offering support from
the heart.
To find out more about volunteering or to donate
please see the links on our website
www.hopefull.org.uk or email info@hopefull.org.uk
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