A small humanitarian convoy who travelled more than 1,300 miles from Blackpool to Poland to deliver 20 tonnes of aid to Ukrainian refugees have returned to the UK, their mission complete.
Members of the Communication Workers Union Humanitarian Aid charity – Chris Webb, Paul Moffat, Sonja Michael and Keith Archibald – set off on their journey at 5am on April 4 in a van and 40ft lorry generously provided by Royal Mail.
They travelled by ferry from Dover to France, then drove through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Poland before finally landing at the Caritas International hub in Poznan on April 5.
READ: Humanitarian convoy from Blackpool arrives in Poland to deliver aid to Ukrainian refugees
The Communication Workers Union Humanitarian Aid charity delivers aid to Ukranian refugees in Poland
They returned to the UK on the night of on April 9.
Chris, a trustee for local mental health charity Counselling in the Community, said: “We had an incredibly long few days drivingm becuas of issues we had getting out of the country. We were up from 8am until 7pm driving in shifts, covering hundreds of miles a day.
"Once we got there on Wednesday, early evening, it immediately made it all worthwhile. We saw tens of volunteers from different organisations. The Polish army were helping. We were given such a warm welcome because they knew how far we’d travelled.
“With their help we were able to unload the vehicles in a few hours, all 20 tonnes, and got the meet some of the volunteers working there, not only unloading aid but helping the refugees living there.
Pictured: Paul Moffat, Chris Webb, Sonja Michael and Keith Archibald with a Polish volunteer
“We first unloaded in the warehouse where the refugees were living, being given food and aid, then we went to a bigger warehouse where we unloaded the 40ft vechile we had.”
Warm clothes, non-perishable food and hygiene products were among the donations dropped off by the convoy.
They are now working towards another collection in aid of Ukrainian refugees, gathering bed and sheets to be sent to emergency hubs in Poland and Moldova, where the majority of civilians fleeing Russian troops have headed.
Chris said: “The site we were on, I can only describe as being like the Birmginham NEC.
The Communication Workers Union Humanitarian Aid charity delivers aid to Ukranian refugees in Poland
“We saw quite a few refugees in the big hall. They were incredibly grateful for the aid we had brought the the support of the Polish people. Some were looking to stay in Poland, some were looking at moving on to other countrys including the UK.
"A lot of them had left Ukraine with the clothes on their back and had to rely on the generosity of others, and you could see they were overwhelmed with the support they were given.”
He added: “I felt exhausted, but also emotional. Seeing firsthand what you see on the TV and how it has impacted real people drive home that it’s not just images on a TV or a post on Facebook. These are real people. Every second was worthwhile and we couldn’t have done it without the suport of local people donating aid, and Royal Mail giving us the vehicles and paying for the fuel. We're incredibly grateful for everyone that has helped.”