A CHARITY that supports veterans has launched an organisation to help British volunteers in Ukraine.
A team from St Helens-based No Duff travelled to the war-torn country on September 25 delivering urgently-needed medical equipment and humanitarian aid.
No Duff founder Dean Owen went out to the Zaporizhzhia region along with fellow veterans son Connor, 23, and Rory Haddock, 49.
No Duff delivered medical equipment for the front line in Ukraine
The charity has set up a non-governmental organisation, No Duff Ukraine, to offer support to British volunteers in the country.
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Dean, who served in the military in Northern Ireland, had already been out to Ukraine a few times already since the Russian invasion last year, and has previously given the Star a first-hand account of the reality and consequences of the war.
Dean, from Sutton Heath, said: “No Duff Ukraine is to help all the British volunteers that are out there, with their mental health but also in the cases where they have been wounded in action or if they need repatriating or killed in action.
“We can have a space set up and we can put things in place for the families that are affected.”
No Duff delivered medical equipment for the front line in Ukraine
Dean, who returned to the UK late last week, described the experience out in Ukraine as “kinetic” and said they were “on the go from the moment you wake up until you get your head down, Ukraine is absolutely massive.”
Dean Connor and Rory witnessed several air raids during their time there.
“I think we slept through one when Zaporizhzhia got hit,” said Dean.
No Duff delivered medical equipment for the front line in Ukraine
“Then we went to Orikhiv and there is no words to describe it. I went to Bucha last year and that was bad but this was just shocking.”
Dean says they were given a medal by the national police in Ukraine and said No Duff is teaching them first aid for the battlefield.
No Duff delivered medical equipment for the front line in Ukraine
“What we hope to do is bring the Ukraine national police to St Helens and doing their courses here so we’ll have to employ instructors, hopefully it will be providing others with jobs.”
Dean has called on people in the town to get behind their efforts.
No Duff delivered medical equipment for the front line in Ukraine
“The war is still going on, people are forgetting about it, it’s horrendous and now there’s other wars that have kicked off around the globe but this is a war on our doorstep and we do need the help,” he added.
“We need the people of St Helens to get behind us so that we can continue our efforts. I think we’re the only people from St Helens that are out there as far as I’m aware, we’re certainly the only St Helens business out there.
“We do need people to get behind us.”
Items they are in desperate need of include CPR mannequins and medical training aids.
No Duff delivered medical equipment for the front line in Ukraine
People are asked to donate to enable No Duff to continue to provide medical and humanitarian aid to those affected by the war. No Duff’s bank details are:
NO DUFF UK CIC
Sort Code: 04-03-70
Account: 95420176
Paypal: noduffinfo@gmail.com
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