APPEAL
UKRAINIAN COPS NEED YOU!
One brave PC from Cheshire transported aid to Ukraine. Now he’s back and is raising money to support fellow Ukrainian officers on the frontline fighting to save their war-torn country. By Nicola Tait
PC Jim Clark from Cheshire Police is one of the volunteers who has seen for himself the devastation of war. Born and bred in Bromley, South East London, PC Clark joined the army at 16, completing 14 years of service. Towards the end of his career, Jim’s main responsibilities focused on logistics and planning. After leaving the military, he joined the Metropolitan Police Service and was based in Lewisham, and now has almost 20 years of experience under his belt. Eight years ago, Jim transferred to Cheshire Police after settling in Macclesfield where he married and started a family. Jim’s skills and work experience made him want to travel to Poland to bring aid to those in need in Ukraine. “It started when I found out about the
Macclesfield Ukrainian Collection Point (MUCP) which had been set up by the local community. One of their relatives was Ukrainian and not originally from Poland, as they had believed, after researching their family tree. It appears that during the Second World War, the gentleman, who said he was Polish, escaped and fled to the UK. “Once the family became aware, they
developed a genuine concern for the rest of the family who were still in Ukraine. This resulted in MUCP being set up, which would help getting humanitarian aid out there.” With his knowledge and experience of logistics and planning during his years in the army and police, Jim decided he wanted to do more to help. A Facebook group was set up and Jim and fellow member, friend and Cheshire police colleague, Rob Stordy, and other mutual friends all connected. Soon Jim found himself leading a 30-van convoy to Krakow. “The team were from all walks of life but we all had a common bond - that the vans
got to Krakow, so they could be forwarded onto Ukraine,” he said. “Rob and I drove because we have experience driving on the continent, being from military and police backgrounds. “We were asked to lead the convey for three days, during which we headed to Germany and then onto Krakow, where we dropped the vans off and then flew back to the UK the next day. The vans were kept secure, and a week later they were moved onto fellow Brits who took the vans to Lviv.” Jim returned home but he wanted to be involved further, particularly supporting fellow officers still out on the frontline in Ukraine.
“I saw a documentary on the BBC called ‘Ukraine: The People’s Fight’. Part of that documentary featured some police officers drafted in on 14 Feb 2022, for an early term,” he explained. “To be told to get your military uniform on, you are off to the front line, must have been frightening. These guys had been asked to go to war leaving their families behind. “We have cops on the front line in
Ukraine who are struggling, and their families are struggling and have left kids behind. My aim is to generate as much money as I can for humanitarian aid to be sent out to the police officers and their families.” Jim’s goal is to raise £25,000 for the officers on the frontline in Ukraine for essential such as trauma and first aid kits, as well as battery chargers and sanitary items for female officers.
If you want to help and support fellow colleagues head over to the Just Giving link:
www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ copsforukraine
37 | POLICE | APRIL 2023
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