Two volunteers have been commended for driving an ambulance full of donations to the Ukrainian border, after overcoming the challenge of breaking down on the second day of travel.

David Smith and Terry Atkinson, members of the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket, began driving a used NHS ambulance to the border between Poland and Ukraine on August 4.

They successfully travelled more than 1,300 miles and delivered medical equipment, mobility aids and winter clothing, which was handed over to the Ukrainian Rotary Club to help the civilians affected by the war with Russia.

The Rotary Club is made up of 40 like-minded people, who fundraise and volunteer for hands-on projects to make a difference to local and international good causes.

David Smith and Terry Atkinson, members of the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket, began driving a used NHS ambulance to the border between Poland and Ukraine on August 4.

placeholder image — David Smith and Terry Atkinson, members of the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket, began driving a used NHS ambulance to the border between Poland and Ukraine on August 4.

Peter Brearley, who has been a member of the Rotary Club of Northampton Becket for the past half a decade, spoke to the Chronicle & Echo to share his pride that the pair completed the trip.

It all began when David and Terry heard from Ukrainian individuals from the congregation at a church in Towcester that there was a growing need to help the civilians impacted by the conflict.

Although the Rotary Club has a number of other overseas projects on the go and has supported Ukrainian refugees in the UK, this is the first time they travelled to the border of the country.

Peter says they were made aware of how many injured civilians there are, particularly families with young children. He shared it is common that people go out shopping and return to see their home has been destroyed.

The main priority was supplying medical aid to assist injured civilians with walking, such as wheelchairs, crutches and walking sticks – which are in short supply in Ukraine.

Though they are put into new accommodation, their belongings do not get replaced and this is what the Rotary Club wanted to assist with.

Peter described the very quick turnaround. The deadline for getting everything sorted was mid-July as David and Terry wanted to make the journey in early August.

There were three weeks to get everything finalised from when the £6,000 ambulance came into their possession. The Rotary Club of Towcester contributed a third of the price, and the rest was made up by the Northampton group.

“It was an absolute success,” said Peter. “They broke down on day two but the ambulance was repaired by a commercial Fiat dealer. They lost a day-and-a-half of travel time and made up for it by alternating two hour shifts throughout the night. They made it to the border on schedule.

The recipients were very grateful when the pair turned up in the ambulance, packed to the brim with generous donations.

“David and Terry were received with gratefulness. The people on the border had nothing but good comments to make and were so grateful. The ambulance was absolutely packed.”

The main priority for the Rotary Club was supplying medical aid to assist injured civilians with walking, such as wheelchairs, crutches and walking sticks – which are in short supply in Ukraine.

There were also many plastic bags filled with winter clothes as they approach a change in season.

Though the Rotary Club cannot afford to purchase another ambulance to do something like this again, they hope to support other people’s efforts by making donations.

Peter wanted to say a big thank you to David and Terry for initiating the project and seeing it through to the end, in spite of the difficulties they faced. He also thanked the community for generously donating thousands of pounds worth of items.