Bristol Aid to Ukraine is made up of a group of volunteers across Bristol and the South West, who came together since the escalation of the war in Ukraine, to organise, collect, pack and deliver much needed aid to Ukraine from Bristol and to safely bring almost 100 Ukrainian refugees safely back to Bristol and the UK so far.

In addition through a number of other community based projects in and around Bristol like our Tree of Hope Project, Excursions, Craft Masterclasses we give support to Ukrainians and also their host families, with the process of settling in after their arrival from Ukraine.

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As we head into winter though, the level of need is even more acute than last winter with daily attacks on civilians power, food annd grain depots and now humanitarian aid.

In addition with donation levels dropping and over 4 million refugees being forced to return to Ukraine, hunger and starvation especially in the East, close to the Russian border is now a major concern.

In one night of drone attacks on Humanitarian warehouses in Lviv on September 19th just before our last 7th trip, the equivalent of enough food for 10, 000 people for the whole of this winter was destroyed.

We are crowdfunding for Plamen Pelov and Bill Singleton both voluntary drivers, to bring out urgently needed Love Bristol generators and donated medical aid and other vital supplies directly to the Oxygen Ukraine NGO in Lviv, the Zolochiv Relief Centre and other local hospitals. This 8th trip will involve driving over 3000 miles there and back to Ukraine from Bristol and will take approx one week. Since the first Bristol Aid 4 Ukraine trip to Ukraine took place shortly after the war escalated in February 2022, our amazing and inspirational team of volunteer drivers have driven more than 30000 miles and many tons of aid out to Ukraine and brought back over 100 refugees. This equates to driving continuously once around the world !

Through our tried & trusted network of contacts both in Bristol and Ukraine, we provide emergency help and support collecting and delivering food, generators, medical supplies, blankets, sleeping bags, pet food, mould treatment, water purification equipment and other humanitarian aid to our partners in Ukraine.

Each round trip between Bristol and Zolochiv and also Lviv in Ukraine to drop urgent aid directly to hospitals, NGO warehouses and relief centres, takes approx seven days and involves our team of dedicated co-drivers, driving our minibus in all types of weather (often snow) and covering over 3000 miles per trip.

A quote below from Joe Kelly Director of Supported Independence who provide award winning mental health services across Bristol and it’s surrounding areas and who was a co- driver on our 5th aid trip said

“It’s really rewarding work being a Bristol Aid to Ukraine driver and I really enjoying working with Chris, Colin, Vera John, Greg and Clare and the wider Bristol Aid to Ukraine and Love Bristol Team and also other NGO staff on the ground out in Ukraine, who work tirelessly as one big amazing team to make these trips such a success.

Every trip is a unique adventure and privilege, as our sponsored refugee passengers struggle and contemplate and try to come to terms with the reality of leaving their homeland, husbands on the front line and all their life memories behind.

To put your trust in others and to come to a temporary place of safety in another country when you do not speak a word of English is a very brave, scary and courageous thing to do.

To try at the same time to come to terms with the loss of your family, your home, your friends, your loved ones, your career and to have these things possibly permanently or at best temporarily out of reach and to be all at sea and in crisis, is simply a living hell!

The three nights and various meals we will have together each day on our way back to the UK from Ukraine as we stay in various hostels and drive across Poland, Germany, Holland and then back to Bristol are a profoundly moving experience for us ALL.”

More donations of money and food, generators and medical supplies will enable us to plan more urgent aid trips out to Ukraine and to directly help those that are most in need.

We will be heading to Ukraine again at the end of November to bring out more - winter aid before Christmas to the poor and needy

- more urgent medical aid to over 150 injured soldiers at the military hospital in Zolochiv

- and also distributing donations of children’s toys to refugee children in both Bristol and Ukraine this Christmas

We value your generosity at this difficult times for Ukraine.