I'm raising £6,000 on behalf of the @ BristolAid4Ukraine Team on Instagram and Facebook who have already completed 15 life saving Aid trips into Ukraine in our very lovely but now knackered old minibus that was originally donated to us by Torwood School in Bristol at the start of the 🇺🇦 war,

For the past 4 years since the war started in 2022, it has done a brilliant job at collecting in medical aid, generators, food and clothing around the City of Bristol and to everyone’s surprise has now completed over 50,000 Aid miles into 🇺🇦!

Our small team of Bristol volunteer drivers who drive out to Ukraine on a bi- monthly basis are assisted by an amazing team of helpers, who collect in and sort out the aid donations that come in to us from right across Bristol. 🚌. As a result everyone in the Team knows from first hand experience just how vital and important these AID trips are.

Over many years of delivering Aid into 🇺🇦, our lovely bus has become a huge symbol of hope, inspiration and strength to so many 🇺🇦 🇬🇧 people in Bristol.

Many single parent 🇺🇦 mums and children in and around Bristol have relied on our Aid 🚌 to get them to our popular Forest School meets in Backwell, our organised 🇺🇦 day trips, our Camping Holiday’s in Cornwall and so many other various group activities. All of this goes on whilst husbands/dads/brothers/uncles and some wives & mums continue to bravely and courageously fight in the trenches year after year after year.

The individual, collective and relentless pressure on ALL 🇺🇦 families separated by war and from loved ones is immense and unbearable at times.Our minibus helps to ease this huge pressure and to bring families across Bristol who are and may feel isolated and alone much closer together! Strengthening connections within and between Ukranian families is a key focus of what we do and keeps families stronger and more positive !

What is particularly remarkable about @BristolAid4Ukraine is that it’s dedicated Team of Bristol driver(s), some of whom are retired and pensioners always directly and fully self fund each and everyone of our Aid trips out to 🇺🇦 entirely from their own personal savings. Thus, this particular crowd funder for a new minibus is a complete one off !

This week our old van is doing its very last and final farewell run to the Zolochiv Military hospital in Western 🇺🇦, where it will will be donated by @BristolAid4Ukraine to be used by the Zolochiv military hospital to assist injured 🇺🇦soldiers to get out of their hospital beds and to get into the fresh air for physio, rehab and PTSD recovery!

Since the war in 🇺🇦 started in 2022 our 🚌 has also evacuated 100’s of war torn 🇺🇦 refugees back to the safety of Bristol.

Our new replacement bus Appeal will be primarily funded from Just Giving donations from our Bristol 🇺🇦 families, our loyal Bristol company sponsors, hospitals, schools, sports clubs and churches and also our 1200 strong social media followers who regularly donate aid and support our medical Aid Trips into 🇺🇦.

As one 🇺🇦 single parent mum commented:

“the bus gives me and my children hope and keeps us strong whilst 🇺🇦 is at war:

Thank you very much for the Forest School, Cornwall, and for your endless support of Ukraine in such a difficult time. 🌻

I will not be able to transfer £100 in one payment because I am alone with a child, and it is not easy for me financially right now. But I will be able to transfer £20 a month for a new bus 🚌. This way it will be £100 pounds in 5 payments. Please write payment details or a link.”

Thank you for all your help and continued support 🙏