Henfield’s Paul Samrah is raising funds to refurbish an ambulance, fill it with supplies, and personally deliver it to Lviv in Ukraine as part of a 7-vehicle convoy leaving London on 22 September.
Paul, who has recently retired after over 40 years with Moore Kingston Smith (MKS), will be recognised locally not only for his monthly finance article in this magazine, but also for his contribution over many years to Brighton & Hove Albion FC, to Henfield FC and as the compère for the Henfield Hall Annual Quiz.
Paul and his friend and co-driver Doug Elliott have already smashed their initial target of £15,000 through the MKS Community Foundation for Medical Life Lines Ukraine (MLLU) and as we go to print, the current fundraising figure stands at over £31,000, with funds still coming in.
These funds will cover purchasing, renovating and stocking the ambulances with medical and practical aid, including dressings, equipment and defibrillators, as well as driving to the Ukraine and delivering the aid to the Ukraine Health Ministry.
Paul is are also now accepting donations of men’s warm dark clothing, sleeping bags, crutches and other mobility aids, yoga mats, hand warmers, energy tablets and Sudocrem.
To donate, please take your items to the Henfield Parish Office (open 9am-2pm Mon-Thurs, 9am-1pm Fridays) before 16 September.
Although having exceeded their initial target, Doug and Paul are still actively fundraising. To support this great cause, please visit the JustGiving page.
Donate to Paul's Fundraiser HereAlternatively you can make a BACS transfer with the following details: Account Name: Moore Kingston Smith Community Foundation; Sort Code: 40-05-20; Account Number: 22224763 (please include the reference ‘ambulance’).
Thank you - your contribution will go a long way to provide invaluable support for the Ukrainian people.
Sarah Butler
Medical Life Lines Ukraine
Since the 24 February 2022 invasion, Medical Life Lines Ukraine has already delivered 52 ambulances to war-torn areas of Ukraine. These include destinations such as Kyiv City Hospital, Mykhailovsky Hospital, Boryspil neonatal centre, Okhmadyt Children’s Perinatal, Poltava, Chernihiv hospitals, Medical Plaza centre in Dnipro, Pervomaisk in Kharkiv region, Odessa emergencies services, Lviv, Kharkiv A&E, Pobuzhie Children’s, Artziz district hospital, Elderly home in Kirovograd region and others.
As Russia continues to target civilian infrastructure including apartments, hospitals and electricity generation, the demand for humanitarian aid, civil defence support and medical supplies is unrelenting. Medical Life Lines Ukraine works in partnership with the registered charity British-Ukrainian Aid (reg number 1164472). For more information see www.medicallifelines.org.uk.