Charity drive across Europe to deliver a much-needed emergency vehicle and medical aid
Regular Geographical contributor Nick Redmayne has been raising money to deliver a fire engine to Ukraine. He leaves next week with a co-driver for the 3,400-kilometre journey to deliver ‘Majorie’, which a generous collector of emergency vehicles supplied for the discount price of £5,000 (a saving of £2,500 on market value).
Marjorie (named after Nick’s mum) is in excellent mechanical condition after the collector threw in a full service. Nick says: ‘Her 8.3 litre Cummings engine runs very smoothly and her pumps are in tip-top condition. There’s also a large crew cab which will be packed with medical and humanitarian aid for distribution in Ukraine.’
The journey to Ukraine will burn through approximately 300 gallons of diesel, costing around £2,500. Nick, who is in partnership with the charity Help4Ukraine, also needs to cover the costs of road tolls, basic accommodation and getting back to his Northumberland home.
Nick, 57, says: ‘From my previous visits to Kyiv in November and February, I know that the fire engine will be put to immediate good use to help those who need it most.
‘The wonderful folks at DFDS ferries have just confirmed a free passage to Amsterdam for ‘Marjorie’ on 22 May. We’ll soon be ready for the off… destination Kharkiv. It’s farther than the Lviv drop initially envisaged – an extra 1,000km, so any spare pounds donated will offset the extra diesel, and will be much appreciated. There is a real need for firefighting equipment this close to the Russian border, and that’s where ‘Marjorie’ is going. I’d like to thank everyone for the immense support they’ve given.’
‘Ukraine is suffering an existential threat. Those Ukrainians who have grown up since 1991 and the collapse of the Soviet Union look towards Europe and liberal European ideals of freedom and liberty. The alternative, if Russia’s invasion succeeds, is a return to a quasi-Soviet sphere characterised by an authoritarian gangster state where there’s no truth, no free press and political opposition figures are either in prison or dead. The choice is that simple.’
If you would like to support Nick’s trip please go to his JustGiving page. To read his most recent Geographical report from Ukraine about life in a war zone, see our April edition or read the article on our website.
