Morris Lubricants gives Ukrainian mercy mission a boost

David Pryce has been given £500 by Morris Lubricants to help with his latest mission and the 59-year-old, from Wellington, has launched his Trikes for Ukraine II campaign, having collected 35 trikes already for disabled children and young adults in Ukrainian orphanages.

In addition, he has collected 400 blankets with waterproof undersheets for vulnerable people living in a hospice and residential homes for the elderly and 70 soft beds for dogs which he hopes to deliver in July.

However, first he needs to find an automatic 7,500kg GVW curtain-sided lorry to rent for two weeks to drive to the Polish border.

The load will then be shipped onto vans which he will travel with to personally deliver the items to where they are most needed.

Morris Lubricants’ executive chairman Andrew Goddard said: “Total respect to David for the wonderful work he is doing to support vulnerable young and elderly people in Ukraine. We are delighted that, as a company, we can contribute towards such a fantastic cause.”

David himself lives with cerebral palsy and has always refused to let the disability define him as a person.

Married with a daughter, he runs his own transport consultancy business, Transportwise, and has funded most of his previous trips to Ukraine himself.

He was inspired to help the people of Ukraine because one of his grandmothers was an evacuee herself. She was evacuated from London to Shropshire to escape German bombing raids during the Second World War.

“One of the things I became aware of when I began the aid missions to Ukraine last year was the massive number of disabled children becoming orphaned as a result of the war,” said David, who has also transported UK visa-ready families with disabilities back to this country.

“I found a televised news clip featuring an orphanage and spotted a young girl aged around nine who has cerebral palsy, like I have, and she was clearly helping the staff with support for others in a respectful way. I saw in that person what I believe are my qualities.”

As a child, David found great independence and freedom from riding a bike with his friends, so he launched a campaign to raise money and bought 21 trikes which were delivered to three Ukrainian orphanages in March.

“I was so emotionally affected by what I saw that I knew I had to go back this summer,” he added. “I have bought 35 second-hand tricycles, many of which are specifically adapted to support riders with posture and positioning needs.

“I have too many for my van, so I am trying to locate a suitable lorry that I can use to transport them to the Polish border. I would love to hear from anybody who can help.

“I have never done anything as significant as this before. One of the things I learned about myself during the Covid lockdowns is that I am resourceful and can make things happen, which is what I am doing now.”

Anyone wishing to support David can contact him on 07517 603333 or email davidpryce@transportwise.co.uk.