Twenty-five trucks carrying a quarter of a million tonnes of aid left Dublin Port yesterday. This was achieved through Aid from Ireland, a group set up by Irish transport operators to transport the generous donations made by the Irish people to Ukraine.
Many thanks to all who were involved in this initiative providing goods, services, time, and effort (including our own, Valerie O’Reilly of Unicorn PR which manages PR for ITTN Group). In addition, thanks to Irish Ferries who sponsored the trucks passing to Cherbourg.
It will take them five days to reach the border, where at that point they will transfer the aid to awaiting lorries who will then enter Ukraine and bravely travel the 70km to their destination.
Valerie told us “‘Last week my six year old brought her box of donated items to the Sandymount Hotel. She insisted on coming with me to the supermarket, packing the box herself, and carrying it in. She asked me where it was going, who was bringing it, do they know it’s coming, and when would it arrive. This was a really big deal for her…. but my answers were vague.”
“When I heard about the Aid for Ireland convoy I felt it was important to send two clear messages out on their behalf. Firstly, to the people of Ukraine, that desperately needed aid is on the way from Ireland. Secondly, to the Irish people who donated over these last few weeks, that your donated items are being safely transported to those who need it most.”
“My daughter watched the convoy leaving on the news yesterday and we’ll track its progress until its eventual arrival on Saturday. The convoy will be updating its Facebook page throughout the journey and will be reporting back via all media channels on its arrival in Ukraine this weekend. The Irish people are a generous nation and yesterday we met the truck operators who have given their trucks for free, we heard about warehousing staff who donated their time to sort the goods, and we met the drivers who have volunteered to bring the aid to the Ukraine border”
We wish them a safe trip and salute everyone involved for your efforts.
