Covers’ convoy leaves for Ukraine

Covers reports that its convoy of lorries has left its Chichester branch on its long journey, it has donated three crane lorries to the humanitarian organisation Stay Safe UA to help Ukrainian civilians.

Their eventual destinations are Bakhmut and Kherson, a journey of 1,800 miles. The lorries are loaded with a forklift, a tracked recovery vehicle, a Bobcat loader and angle broom for rubble clearance and a container of equipment including fridges, freezers, clothing and medical supplies.

Covers chairman, Rupert Green, said: “UKtoUkraine, Healing Hands Network and Stay Safe UA do fantastic work getting aid to the Ukrainian people. We hoped our lorries and forklift might be of some use, but didn’t imagine how many problems it would solve for Stay Safe UA.

“Then, of course, there was no point sending them empty – the joint fundraising from UKtoUkraine, Healing Hands Network and Covers generated a really generous response which was used to purchase the Bobcat, the container and lots of life-saving medical supplies.”

There to wave off the convoy was Covers chairman Rupert Green, Pip Holmes and Henrietta Nettlefold from UKtoUkraine and Sue Stretton and Steve Grayson from the charity Healing Hands Network, which works with UKtoUkraine.

Caragh Booth, from UKtoUkraine, said: “The benefits of these lorries are two-fold. Firstly, they can carry the donations on board to the Ukraine. Then they can be used as a mobile shower unit and bakery, to transport goods and for loading and off-loading, especially moving larger generators donated by UKtoUkraine.

“This project has been a tremendous success and we cannot thank Covers and their brilliant team enough.”

Chichester district council leader, Adrian Moss, who was part of the congregation at Covers’ Chichester branch said: “I was really delighted to attend the sending off of the humanitarian aid to the Ukraine from Covers.

“We are so proud that Covers, a really important local business, has made this massive contribution to supporting the Ukraine with much-needed aid and the donation of the lorries and forklift.”