By Monica Jones and Mike Brennan
We have all been stunned by news and imag-es of the atrocities in Ukraine. The response from the local community was to unite in gathering much needed supplies to be trans-ported over to the Polish border with Ukraine. A group took the initiative to set up a Satur-day donation point outside Sainsbury’s on Shepperton high street. I am sure I am not the only one to have cried when I saw the moun-tains of donations. The bags of goods were piled high. As soon as they were taken away for sorting in a multitude of vans and cars, the piles were replaced; nappies, clothes, basic first aid, sanitary wear, bedding and pet food. All in all you donated 18 tons!!
Maureen Attewell, one of the instigators of the initiative said “ It is really unbelievable!
Shepperton’s community turned out in amaz-ing numbers to bring along donations for Ukrainian families”
Volunteers came together to help sort all the toiletries, nappies, wipes, first aid essentials, baby milk, food, bottles etc and clothes ready to send. Goods were initially taken to Kwasi Kwarteng’s office in Ashford to be stored, and Shepperton Village Hall was used for the extra volume. Locals used their connections to smooth the path. Mike Bielanski, a logistics expert, called on a friend who happened to be Neil Taylor owner of World Cargo Logistics. They gave over a warehouse in Egham and facilitated the sorting with a huge network of local volunteers. Donations were sorted and packed, then put on pallets. The intense logis-tical planning and organisation prior to the lorries leaving ensured all customs paperwork was in order and the trucks were able to move across Europe quickly and without any de-lays. Getting your donations to the people that needed them most and quickly was the priori-ty. Thank you to all you wonderful volunteers who gave your time happily to help sort and package at the Egham centre. You know who you are! Councillors, individuals. Young and old. You all played such an important part.
In the end there were two articulated lorries, sent to Poland packed with goods for the Red Cross to distribute. Goods were labelled with the names of the villages which had donated.
The pathos was clear in the operation. Even grown men had tears in their eyes at this great effort to make a difference, and at the gener-osity in the face of such a humanitarian disas-ter in Europe. As one of the drivers was picking up from Kwasi’s office he was approached by a mother and daughter who came with a bag of donations. The little girl then offered her own doll. Before handing it over she gave her a final hug saying that the doll needed to go to another child in Ukraine now as they needed it more than she did. The driver had tears in his eyes.
We know that only one week after the immense collection of donations from all around, on Shepperton High Street, that the two lorries made it to their destinations and were immediately distributed to Ukrainian refugees in Poland, but also into Ukraine itself. Amazing effort!