A former Somerset resident who organizes supply runs between Weston-super-Mare and Ukraine has described her “heartbreaking” experience of witnessing the chaos on the Ukrainian border.
Faye Savage, who grew up and lived in Clevedon until 2017, has formed a link between Weston-super-Mare and Krakow to enable deliveries of goods to help those displaced by the ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe.
The job also includes dropping off supplies to help the drops at the Polish-Ukrainian border, where she has seen refugees, emergency services and news agencies all together.
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Faye told Somerset Live: “We continued to the border (from Krakow) where there had been a lot of road maintenance and as I looked straight ahead you could see a sea of white and blue lights far away.
“The traffic allowed a large number of emergency services to have priority, as they rushed past the cars patiently waiting their turn.
“As we approached the border, we were stopped by the police who asked us why we were here and let us pass. and other key workers for an interview”.
Residents and refugees wait to be transported or drop off supplies (Image: Faye Savage)
She also described a large number of pedestrians waiting to be transported to other locations: “Outside, people were sitting on the ground and leaning against a shop window, presumably waiting to be transported to their next destination”.
The news comes as reports suggest more than seven million people have been displaced, with more than 500,000 people fleeing the country.
The city of Kherson has now fallen to Russia, with the city of over 285,000 people now in the hands of Vladamir Putin’s army.
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Ms Savage continued: “There were so many people, sirens, emergency services rushing in, other cars and buses, children screaming and the smell of fuel and burning. But it bothered me. took a while to notice the noise and smell because of the overwhelming emotions running through me.
“Mostly women and children crossed the border, with bags and small suitcases, some empty faced, others exhausted and many with tears streaming down their faces.
“I spoke with a gentleman who was from Ukraine, it was difficult to know what else to say that I was sorry for what was happening in his country and thanked him for his help.
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“There were fires in the parking lot where the children and their families were sitting. It was a very cold night.”
The large number of people trying to help, however, caused traffic jams, with vehicles and people brought to a halt due to an almost uplifting show of solidarity with the number of people trying to help or flee.
She added: “I recommend to those who don’t need to go to the border for crucial reasons to avoid the border as it is very congested and there are no help drops there- down that I’ve seen. I would recommend dropping off donations to reputable organizations across the border and in your local towns, as the relief point we went to was also extremely busy.”
Faye concluded with a heartfelt appeal, saying everyone must give their all to help those in need across Europe: “No words can truly describe how heartbreaking this is for those directly affected and let’s call it what it is, a war against Ukraine Europe, we must unite, we must do all we can to help and we must stand with Ukraine.
“What I witnessed yesterday wasn’t even the tip of the ice burg. We need to keep the momentum going and keep supporting as much as possible.”
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-11 06:37:39
