No Duff drive ambulance and supplies from St Helens to Ukraine

Following a visit to deliver supplies in Ukraine last year, No Duff, a St Helens-based veteran support network, organised a return trip to the war-torn country to take medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and an ambulance to the front lines.

Supported with donations from St Helens and the wider North West, No Duff founder Dean Owen and Wirral-based veteran Stephen Anderson left St Helens for Lviv on Thursday, January 26.

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An ambulance and No Duff van was driven from St Helens to Ukraine (Image: Dean Owen)

Dean and Stephen witnessed a lot of destruction inside the country (Image: Dean Owen)

Stocked with donations from St Helens, Dean and Stephen began the trip by delivering thirty boxes of toys to a children's hospital in Lviv, and then onto donating warm weather clothing to soldiers and civilians in the capital Kyiv.

Following this, the pair donated hundreds of boxes of aid to a Ukrainian Women's Veteran Movement, delivered personal presents to a family whose relatives are now living in the UK, and handed out food and water purifying tablets to residents living close to the front lines.

The Ambulance was then handed over in order to help rescue injured soldiers and civilians from the front lines, while a No Duff trailer was also given as a gift to transport aid and supplies.

Supplies were given to the Ukrainian Women's Veteran Movement (Image: Dean Owen)

Dean, from Sutton Heath, said: "On our trip, we witnessed a lot of destruction and the smell of burning buildings. In the woods that surround Bucha, you could smell death.

"However, things seemed a lot better than our last trip, and the warm welcome we received was fantastic.

"It was humbling to hand over our trailer and ambulance to help with the war effort, and we were told to pass on the utmost thanks to people who helped to make this possible."

"The ambulance will undoubtedly save many lives [...] and it's truly amazing to see what the organisation can do."

Delivering aid inside Ukraine (Image: Dean Owen)

Dean said the donations were greatly received by those in Ukraine (Image: Dean Owen)

After returning safely to St Helens this week, Dean said he will plan another trip to Ukraine to deliver further aid and assistance to those battling the Russian invasion.