CHARITY CORNER
CORNWALL CABBIE SPEAKS OF CONVOYING 104 AID VANS TO HELP PEOPLE IN UKRAINE
A cabbie in Cornwall has spoken of his experiences convoying aid for the people of Ukraine over the last year. Darren Tait, of Darren’s Cars in Callington, first decided to take action and deliver aid to Ukraine soon after the Russian invasion in February 2022. He set up the group Cornwall and Devon Sending Love to Ukraine and has since sent 104 vans filled with a range of supplies from medical aid, to pet food, and sleeping bags, to nappies - and will continue to do so as long as it is needed. Darren and his team only convoy the vans as far as Warsaw in Poland, where the aid is then taken across the border via Ukrainian charities. Their last trip was over Easter, when they convoyed 12 to 13 vans packed with donations from across Cornwall and Devon. Speaking of his experiences so far, Darren told CornwallLive that it has been heart-breaking to
hear
stories from those affected by the war. “It’s been stressful”, he said. “Some of the things we’ve seen, the people we’ve met and the stories we’ve heard have been heartbreaking. But Darren said the generosity and gratitude of the people in Poland has been ‘incredible’ and recalled one occasion when local people had laid on a buffet spread of food ready for their arrival – and then in the middle of it all a woman arrived with a pot of hot stew. During their most recent trip earlier this month, Darren and his team had a special concert arranged for them by the Warsaw
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all the stories we’ve heard. “At one point, we thought we’d feel a sense of achievement from the work we are doing but we actually felt empty because we know that nothing we
Chamber of Commerce. “They wined and dined us and treated us really nicely. The amount of gratitude they all have for us is incredible,” Darren said. However, Darren said that the work
they do would not be possible without the support and donations from the local communities over the last year. “I feel immense pride in the support and aid we’ve received from the people in Devon and Cornwall,” he said. “We’ve even had people who have seen what we are doing and join us from places like Birmingham, Hertfordshire and places further afield. It just goes to show what a wonderful place we live in.” The group has also helped bring around 60 Ukrainian refugees to England where they have joined families in Devon and Cornwall. While Darren said he is glad they could provide some help, he feels that the work they do will never be enough for the people who have lost everything as a result of the war. “We’ve helped bring back around 60 Ukrainian refugees and we’ve had people approach us looking absolutely terrified because they’re putting total faith in us to get in our vans in the hope of being brought somewhere
safe,” he explained. “It’s been surreal to hear
do will be enough given the situation.” Their latest convoy departed on April 10 and Darren said that items which are particularly needed for the refugee families were glasses, nappies, baby food, trauma kits, adult incontinence
pads,
generators, and cooking stoves. “Something that’s been requested from the Ukrainian charities is to see if we can source glasses”, he explained. “People are desperate for everything. We’ve sent out an ambulance, hospital equipment, incubators, 1000 zimmer frames, and wheelchairs which all go out to field hospitals. “My daughter is deaf and she came with us on our last trip. Before we went, Derriford Hospital [in Plymouth] said they would provide a box of hearing aids all in good condition. Within a week of us taking them [to Poland], they were in the ears of the people who needed them.” “If you could imagine leaving your home with just one bag, what would you need? Everything. “The situation isn’t getting any better, so we’ll continue to accept donations and take them over and if anyone could offer a home or a bedroom to a refugee, it would help.”
MAY 2023 PHTM
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