Sam's blog

Sam is in Ukraine for 10 days, helping us with our aid runs, and this is his blog: 

My mother has graciously allowed me a spot on the the famous Trawden for Ukraine blog, an opportunity for which I am deeply honoured! Today was my second and final trip to Kherson in the aid van, with Fiona and Bob, carrying vast amounts of water, cleaning supplies, baby products and food aid. Unfortunately, the shelling started much earlier than the previous trip and we heard the exchange across the river between the two forces, as well as some distant gunfire. The sound of impacting shells is one that I will never forget. It is a sound similar to thunder, however much closer and louder. You can feel it through the ground as well as through your body. To imagine the residents of Kherson and other similarly affected cities, hearing this on a daily basis, sends chills, and knowing that these shells could strike anywhere in the city at any time is terrifying.

We delivered some aid to Anastasia, who has a young child. This child, as well as many others in the city, is constantly in danger. I know I must be too young to understand what that must be like as a parent; hopefully, I never will. Just on Friday, a shell struck near a playground in the same block we delivered our aid, seriously injuring 3 children. I don't think I need to stress how close they were to being killed.

On the way out of Kherson, after successfully dropping off our aid, we stopped at a camp for other aid workers on the outskirts of the city. This camp was run by a mountain of a man named Igor, who seemed to have many useful future contacts for Bob and Fiona. Him and his friends were very hospitable, and offered food and drink. One thing that continues to amaze me is the strength and courage of the Ukrainians. Not just the volunteers delivering valuable aid to some of the most dangerous places in the world, but the normal people who continue to live their lives, regardless of the constant threat. Odesa, where we are staying, is such a vibrant and lively city, even being so close to the fighting.

However, there is a different reality in Kherson and villages on its outskirts, where they experienced heavy shelling earlier in the war, which still continues. 

We also managed to catch up with our Polish friends at a petrol station. They had just been delivering aid to a village called Kozats'ke in the Kherson region, an unimaginably dangerous place. This was as close to the front line as you can get, less than a kilometer away from firefights between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers. They experienced constant shelling and bombing from planes; it's quite frankly a miracle they returned unscathed. They were setting up mobile solar panels to provide electricity to the remaining residents of the village. These are the kinds of people that put their lives on the line to help the innocents caught up in this needless war, experiencing similar danger to the soldiers on the front line. I am incredibly proud of all the people doing their part, including my parents. I am also grateful to have been involved, as this has been a life changing experience.