An Aberdeenshire businessman who drove 2,500 miles to deliver supplies to Ukrainian refugees said it was an “emotive” journey from start to finish.
Gilan Kelly travelled four days to take donations from the north-east of Scotland to Poland where several charities can transport the supplies to Ukraine for those in need.
The 32-year-old and his team collected donations of dry food items, baby products and medical supplies from many Aberdeenshire towns before they left.
Mr Kelly and his friend Glen Torrance, 23, were supposed to travel to the Polish border, however, they ended up dropping them off the donations in Warsaw where the charities took over.
How it began
Mr Kelly who owns Ahh Luxury Hot Tub Hire, said it was “sheer frustration” at the situation in Ukraine that drove him to carry out the journey.
While the trip was tiring and at times stressful the he said it had an emotional connection from start to end.
Having received all the donations from people in the north-east, Mr Kelly said the items were given by many people who wanted to feel more connected to what was happening in Ukraine.
He said: “I’m fortunate that I do have vehicles at my disposal and I thought if that’s what is needed then let’s get that done.
“The journey started there knowing that all these items had connections not just for the people who were going to be receiving them but the people who were giving them.
“Then I guess meeting some Ukrainians on route and knowing what it meant for them highlighted to us almost immediately how important this was going to be.”
‘The whole journey was very emotive’
On the ferry over from Newcastle to Amsterdam, Mr Kelly and Mr Torrance met few Ukrainians who told them about their families who were still in the Ukraine.
He added: “To speak to them and know first-hand straight away what it meant even for them knowing that we were making that journey wasn’t something we were expecting to encounter just getting on the ferry but it was. The whole journey was very emotive.”
Mr Kelly shared moments of their journey through his businesses’ social media online.
Once they arrived in Amsterdam, they continued to drive through Germany before arriving in Warsaw in Poland. The donations were offloaded at around midnight on Thursday, March 10, at a rural hotel.
These were then taken to Ukrainians seeking refuge in a church over the border and to those in more rural areas of Ukraine who were struggling to get access to supplies. The drop was organised through contacts from the Polish charity Own Women Kolowrotek.
A humbling experience
After arriving back in Scotland, Mr Kelly said the journey has only made him want to help more.
He said: “I think just everybody wants to help and you almost feel a little helpless, even though you’re helping, it just doesn’t feel like enough. Like we all could do a little bit more somehow. I think that’s ultimately that’s the reason that I want to do more.
“It doesn’t feel like job done, mission complete. It’s more like let’s see what else we can do.”
For those who want to be doing things to help, Mr Kelly said they should not hesitate.
“Just do it,” he said. “There’s nothing that’s too small. Everything in my personal opinion, every single you do to help the people in Ukraine who have been displaced is a fantastic thing.”
“I’m actually incredible grateful. Grateful to have what we have, humbled to have been able to deliver the goods there on behalf of everybody, I felt like I was just part of the journey not the person taking care of it.
“I’d like to do more, to continue to do more for as long as they need help.”
