Tebay tree surgeon Steve Hodgson is a man on a mission to Ukraine with more than seven tonnes of aid.
Steve, 51, was half way across Germany when he spoke to the Herald last Wednesday afternoon. He said that, all being well, he would get to the Ukrainian border around lunchtime on Thursday.
Having been delivering aid on his own to the war-torn country since June, he has now joined forces with Huddersfield Aid to Ukraine and is driving a lorry packed with potentially life-saving items and a trailer carrying a large generator destined for a hospital in Mykolaiv.
To help pay for the trip, Steve has launched a gofundme page which has raised nearly £3,000, which he said he was really chuffed with.
When he agreed to take the generator, he looked at how much it was going to cost him to drive a wagon doing 15 miles to the gallon 2,500 miles across Europe and then back again.
“It was a bit of an eye-opener, so that is why I made the appeal, but I’ve had a fantastic response. Once I have done this trip, if we can keep raising the money, then I will go straight back with another load of aid.
“If 10 people donated £10, that is £100, which is almost three-quarters of a tank of diesel. That has got me 300 miles. That is how I calculate it,” said Steve.
Last Christmas, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Steve got engaged to Natasha, who hails from Mykolaiv. She is still in Ukraine, waiting to get a passport, and Steve will also be meeting up with her as part of the trip.
“Every time I have done a trip to Ukraine I have always taken bits and pieces which me and Natasha have distributed. But this is obviously a bit more substantial. I’ve got a lorry full of warm clothes, food, first aid, a lot of nappies, sanitary pads and medical equipment — everything that you could possibly need to survive a winter. I have also picked up some generators that have been donated by friends in Tebay,” said Steve.
He said that the aid which he was delivering from Huddersfield was going to Sokal, which is about 30 or 40 miles from Lviv.
From there, he will travel to Uzhhorod, on the border with Slovakia, which is where Natasha is at the moment.
While there, Steve has got 1,000kg of wax flakes which he will be delivering to a refugee centre where they make trench candles for the army. After picking up Natasha they will travel to Mykolaiv, which takes two days.
Steve, who spent six years in the Royal Marines, said that in the west of Ukraine, where Natasha is, was generally safe, but in the east — that was a different story.
“There is going to be an element of danger in there I don’t doubt for one minute,” said Steve.
“But in my mind I just think about what the Ukrainians go through every single day. You are very detached from the war in the west (of Ukraine) in some respects, but the power cuts really hit home. It is minus 10 and there is two feet of snow. The only way you get warm is to go to bed with all your clothes on,” he said.
Steve added: “Russia had a stranglehold on our energy and that is the problem. If we don’t deal with Putin and Russia now, it will cost us 10 times as much if we have got to do the same again in another five or six years’ time. This needs to be the line in the sand when it comes to it.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back and see the bigger picture. Yes, your electricity bill is high now and you’re struggling to pay it, but at least you have got electricity. At least you have got water.
“The Ukrainian people are fighting for their survival and they want the Russians gone from their country. There is no question about that. They are going to fight until the bitter end.”
To donate, visit https://gofund.me/06d7db17
