Telford group in race to raise funds ahead of lorry's departure to Ukraine on Monday
A group of kindhearted aid workers from Shropshire face a race against time to get supplies out to the Ukraine after red tape and slow administration left their driver out of pocket.
Broseley-based Connect Aid has launched a Facebook plea to raise £1,500 in cash as the money pledged for fuel and supplies for the journey to Lviv cannot be used by the Ukrainian driver as his bank cards have been stopped.
The original £1,500 - donated by fellow aid group Salam Norge - has also not yet reached Connect Aid's account for them to give to the driver and the ferry to Ukraine is booked for Monday. Telford-based company Oakley's Fuel Oils has already given £600 towards fuel to get the driver to Poland, where representatives of the charity plan to meet him for the onward journey.
It comes as donations for Ukraine continue to flood in to collection points across Shropshire, including in Shrewsbury where hundreds of boxes have been filled with goods at the Hartley Business Centre on Monkmoor Road.
Monday's planned trip by Connect Aid is one of three going out from Telford to the war-torn country and organiser Lea Beven said they need to meet the first truck to be able to co-ordinate the mission and make sure everything runs smoothly.
She said workers have spent all week sorting out supplies and loading pallets at the Food Share Project, Rampart Way, and everything was going to plan until the glitch over money.
She said: "There has been a delay in processing the money and it won't reach our account in time to give to the driver who needs to use cash because his bank cards have been stopped.
"We have been working flat out to pack boxes and pallets with food and medicine, some of which is earmarked for families who are being forced to live in a metro station in Kyiv with no food or water.
"People have already been very kind with donations since I put it on Facebook today, we had some immediate pledges and what we are saying is that these can be loans until we get the cash in the account from Salam Norge or they can be donations - just to let us know either way."
Community interest company Connect Aid has been working on missions abroad since it was set up in September 2015. It has worked with refugees in Macedonia, Athens and France, raising more than £100,000 to buy and facilitate aid.
They also run a food share project operating in Telford, Bridgnorth and Highley areas and have two shops in the town centre, and Wellington.
Lea said: "We have always been overwhelmed with the generosity of people in the Telford area, whether that be from individuals or businesses like Oakleys who have donated fuel money.
"As soon as the problems started in Ukraine we raced into action and it is only really a logistical glitch that is going to hold us up but I feel sure if we can get the message out there people will come to our aid again. But at the moment it is a race against time."
Anyone wanting to donate to Connect Aid can do so by sending money to Connect Aid C.I.C, 09-01-28, 92088008 or by sending money via Paypal to the email address donate@connectaid.org.uk.
