Osteopath drives 4,000 kilometres to deliver aid and collect 28 refugees, a cat and a dog from Ukraine

Ian Harrison, from Overton, drove 4,000 kilometres as part of a convoy of 14 volunteers and seven vehicles to deliver vital supplies to the Polish border for onwards distribution into the war-torn country. 

The group, which included a retired army officer, a former police officer, a finance director, a plumbing and heating engineer, a couple of small business owners, a lawyer and a teacher, all set off on the journey as part of Eden Aid's ongoing support mission.

The group of volunteers getting ready to leave

Eden Aid is currently running weekly trips to Ukraine in minibuses both rented and donated from nearby schools, including groups of all-female volunteers who bring back some of the more vulnerable refugees.

After dropping off the goods, eight of the drivers stayed on to collect 28 displaced persons, as well as a cat and a dog, to bring them to their agreed host families in the UK.

So far, the group has helped over 400 refugees and an assortment of pets reach safety. Predominantly, these have been women and children.

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Betty the dog

Formed in response to the conflict, Mr Harrison embarked on the charities' 22nd trip to Ukraine after a chance meeting at a drinks party.

While catching up with a friend he was told about the organisation's ongoing efforts. Feeling 'compelled to do something', he got in touch straight away to offer his help. 

On Monday, August 9, Mr Harrison set off from Eden Aid's Oxford base on the 72-hour round journey.

Mr Harrison's group of passengers

He said: "It all happened quite quickly. I got in touch to let them know I was available, and all of a sudden I'm driving to the Polish-Ukrainian border."

With safety being of paramount importance, each of the drivers took turns at two-hour stints behind the wheel to ensure they were fresh for the journey back from Poland.

However, with various challenges including vehicle breakdowns, German autobahns with "crazy" drivers, border checks, a lack of sleep and frequent stops for tired passengers along the way, the New Zealander said the drive certainly took its toll.

"It was really tough. I'm a sailor so I'm used to getting little snacks of sleep. There's a technique the army use which helps you get off quite quickly, so you may only need around 10 to 15 minutes worth of high-quality REM sleep at a time; but you can't do that forever. When I came home and I couldn't even speak to my wife properly - I just had to go to bed."

Despite the various snagging issues, Mr Harrison said the toughest thing about the experience was meeting the refugees in Warsaw.

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"I find it hard to talk about at the moment. My voice goes creaky and my eyes well up when I think about it. These people are just like us. One minute everything is fine and then suddenly the house next door has been blown up, neighbours and family members are missing and young men, brothers and fathers have been moved to the front line.

"These are guys with normal jobs like you and I, and now they're in uniforms facing Russian artillery. At the same time, they're doing everything they can to get their women and children to safety. 

"One of the women we picked up was called Olena. I asked her why she chose Great Britain, and she looked at me as if I was a bit mad. Everybody knows the British are good and kind people. Often it's portrayed that immigrants come to the UK because it has a good social healthcare system, but really I think it's somewhere they know they'll be safe. I'm a Kiwi and I've been here for 35 years and I love it."

Kalyna the cat

Although the group mainly consisted of women and children, Mr Harrison also collected a former bus driver who was shelled by Russians while shuttling families to safety.

He suffered lasting mental and physical injuries from the ordeal.

The aid being dropped off in Poland

He added: "It really puts things into perspective. We complain about the speed of our Wifi while these guys are having their homes destroyed.

"What was quite ironic going out is we drove past two places of horror - Colditz Castle and the Kraków concentration camps. It's not that long ago we had a world where we were gassing and executing millions of people, and you just wonder whether we've moved on or not."

After arriving in the UK, the guests split off to join their host families in city's and towns across England and Scotland.

Mr Harrison has said he is heading back over to Poland in October for a second trip with the charity. 

For more information on Eden Aid, visit: edenaid.org/