Ukraine - Raising money for a Ticehurst-sponsored Van to deliver humanitarian aid to people caught up in the hell of war.

When the Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February of this year, Toby Illingworth, a young man from Buxted in East Sussex, decided he could not stand on the sidelines. Instead, he joined forces with Mad Foundation (registered charity: 1111805) to establish Operation SafeDrop (www.operationsafedrop.com). The charity delivers food, medicines and blankets to civilians caught up in the hell of war, helps those living on the front-line move to safer places and assists displaced families to find UK sponsors and to gain entry visas to the UK.

Toby’s charity runs six vans which deliver aid to the front line and brings civilians to safety. Each week, the team delivers aid to communities in Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson and bring vulnerable families to safety in the West of Ukraine.

The vans used by the charity are in a woeful state after travelling 2,500 kilometres each week on roads which are in a terrible condition.

In the last few days, the temperature has dropped well below freezing and the first snow has fallen making conditions for the vans even more treacherous. Toby now needs new vans that are able to cope with the winter conditions and increase the volume of aid that can be delivered to people in desperate need of help.

The aim of this fundraiser is to raise £35,000 to buy a new van for Toby and his team so they can continue their work through winter.

NB: JUST GIVING, AT THE END OF THE DONATION PROCESS, ASKS FOR AN OPTIONAL DONATION. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOTHING TO DO WITH OPERATION SAFEDROP AND IS TOTALLY AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION (JUST TO MAKE CLEAR THAT THIS IS NOT LINKED TO THE FUNDRAISING - CAN SET TO 1.00 OR NOTHING ALSO).

NB: For UK Residents and taxpayers, please select the option of UK GIFT AID to increase the value of your donation.