'Don't forget about Ukraine', says charity

A charity boss says the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine should not be forgotten, despite increased media focus on the conflict in the Middle East.

Hope and Aid Direct, based in Ingatestone, Essex, has sent more than 100 trucks to Ukraine since 2022 - filled with 620 tonnes of goods from hospital beds to medical supplies - but saw a drop in donations due to the cost-of-living crisis.

The charity's founder Charles Storer MBE said there was still "a big ongoing need" for donations to continue.

"The message is very simple - people out there are still desperately in need of help," he told the BBC.

Hope and Aid Direct has been running for more than 25 years, sending 500 trucks of aid to people in the Balkans, Gaza and Calais, focusing almost exclusively on Ukraine since the war with Russia began.

Other items sent include more than 50 generators, 1,500 fire extinguishers and more than 5,000 items of high-visibility clothing for emergency services to use when clearing debris from drone and missile attacks.

As well as public donations, it receives large donations from businesses, including mattresses from Premier Inn when they refresh their hotel rooms.

"There's not much that they don't need [in Ukraine] - if you've lost your home and you've lost everything, you need everything again," Storer said.

Much of the charity's aid is transported using commercial trucks returning to Ukraine after delivering goods to the UK, journeys that would otherwise be empty.

But Storer said they were having to pay the trucks more due to the increase in the cost of fuel since the conflict in the Middle East began.

"I think we will be able to continue sending the aid, but the costs will go up and that means we will need to get more coming in by way of donation," he told the BBC.

The charity used to store and distribute its donations from Basildon, before moving to a farm near Chelmsford. It will have to move out in June as the farm needs the space for grain.

Storer said he was looking for a permanent home for his charity's operations, but faced having to pay between £15,000 and £20,000 in rent for warehouse space, having not had to pay anything in the past.

"We're all volunteers, we're relying on the public to donate funds - I just can't justify those sorts of expenditures," he said.

"We know that we could increase… dramatically if we had our own space."

"If we have something that we knew we had for five years… wouldn't that be amazing?" he added.

The charity sent its 102nd truck to Ukraine on 30 April.

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