Mission to Ukraine

Pickups for Peace is a charity started by the Scottish farming community. A number of Scottish farmers with links to Ukrainian agriculture wanted to make a contribution to Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion. They came up with the idea of donating ex-farm pickups loaded with humanitarian supplies and delivering these to Ukraine.

The donated pickups and 4X4s go directly to the front line where they are used for rapid troop deployments, evacuation of casualties and general-purpose transport. Over 300 vehicles have been delivered to date.

As a part-time farmer, I read the farming press and came across the great work of Pickups for Peace. I feel very strongly that the Ukrainians are fighting and dying for all of us. If the war goes the Russians’ way, not only will there be catastrophic consequences for the Ukrainian people, but the world order will be changed, much to our detriment.

I came across a powerful quotation: “It is a grave mistake to do nothing, when you can only do a little.”

Donating a vehicle and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine would only be doing a little in the context of this terrible war, but better that than do nothing. So I decided that I would join Pickups for Peace on their next convoy. I had a Jeep Renegade that I was going to sell but instead decided to donate this to Ukraine.

The only problem was my Jeep was red – not exactly the best colour for military deployment on the front line! I noticed from the Pickups for Peace website and social media that their vehicles were painted NATO green, so a respray became part of the plan.

I needed a co-driver and the first person I asked was Darek Kubik. I have known Darek for 30+ years, originally through scuba diving. As well as being an all-round excellent bloke, Darek has the advantage of being Polish, meaning that the invasion of Ukraine and the threat to his home country made him invested in the outcome of the war. Plus, a large part of our journey would be driving through Poland so having a Pole on board made sense. Darek immediately agreed to come with me.

As a bonus, Darek was able to borrow a compressor and a paint spray gun. My wife Lorraine and I spent a good few hours masking up the red Jeep and then Darek arrived for the respray. In a slight departure from NATO green, we decided, given my motor racing connections, to respray the Jeep British racing green. I thought it looked pretty good, but I’m not sure if a second career in a body shop beckons!

Darek and I ran a Just Giving campaign which was fantastically successful, raising nearly £7000, plus gift aid. The Jeep was packed to the roof with battlefield stretchers and other medical equipment, plus supplies such as body wipes (needed for hygiene on the frontline).

We were to join the 12th Pickups for Peace convoy to Ukraine in April 2024. Given that vehicles and crews were coming from all over the UK, with various crossings to mainland Europe, it wasn’t feasible to convoy all the way. Darek and I chose the Channel Tunnel, coincidentally meeting another Pickups for Peace vehicle on the way. Travel through France, Belgium and Germany was fairly uneventful, and we spent our first night in a small town in eastern Germany. The next day we drove to southern Poland and met the rest of the 12th convoy.

Next morning we drove in a loose convoy to the Ukrainian border and gathered on the Polish side for a briefing. UK Government advice is of course not to travel to Ukraine and all insurances for the vehicle, medical, travel and life would be void as soon as we crossed into a war zone. Given that the vehicles would be uninsured, the safest way to travel through the western part of Ukraine to the city of Lviv was in a tight convoy led by the Ukrainian police. I secured second place in the convoy and it was an exciting drive, following the blue light at high speed through the countryside, then the suburbs and into the city. We were told on no account to stop at red lights or pedestrian crossings! I think there were a few close shaves. We checked into a comfortable hotel in the city centre.

The vehicles and contents were handed over to the Ukrainian military. We were told that the vehicles and the supplies were highly valued and contributed directly to saving lives on the frontline.

We were recommended to download a Ukrainian air raid warning app onto our phones. That night, I think around 1 AM, the public address system in the hotel and the app simultaneously blasted out loud air raid warnings. We were told to get to the nearest bomb shelter immediately. In our case, this was in the basement of the hotel, so we all hurriedly made our way down. In the bomb shelter, the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. As is well known, the primary target of the Russians is the energy facilities within Ukraine, despite the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure being a war crime. Everyone in the shelter expected the missiles or drones to be targeted at the Lviv power station which is about 50 KM from the city centre. Sure enough, a missile hit that power station. We didn’t see, feel or hear anything, but a Ukrainian military representative showed me the track of the missile the next day and it came pretty close.

Next day we visited a Ukrainian farm about an hour from the city centre. It surprised me that, despite the war, the owners of the farm were engaged in building works, extending some of their agricultural facilities. Clearly they are confident about the outcome.

After a second night in Lviv we were bussed to the Polish border which we crossed on foot, then took a taxi to the train station, and caught a train to Krakow. Another train took us to the airport and the flight back to Gatwick.

The mission was an unforgettable experience, with the sadness of the graveyard being balanced to a degree by the satisfaction of knowing that we had made a small but useful contribution to the cause of freedom and democracy, and against tyranny.

Our Just Giving campaign is still open and can be accessed either through the following link or searching for Harry Sherrard on the Just Giving page. Donations can also be made directly to Pickups for Peace.

www.justgiving.com/page/harry-sherrard-1710186325529
www.pickupsforpeace.co.uk/

Thank you to everyone for the most generous contributions.

Harry Sherrard

2 June 2024

harry@harrysherrard.com
+44 (7899) 984535