Mobility equipment and bedding bound for Ukrainian hospitals

Van loads of Vital supplies including wheelchairs, mobility aids and bedding have been donated and delivered to Ukrainian hospitals thanks to the efforts of a local volunteer and staff at Devon’s recycling centres.

Colin Northover visited Exeter’s Pinbrook and Newton Abbot’s Brunel Road Recycling Centres to collect much needed supplies on behalf of the Ukraine Appeal.

Since the war began in February, Suez staff, contracted to run Devon County Council’s network of 19 recycling centres, have been casting a keen eye over anything that has been thrown away, enabling them to set aside the pick of the items for Colin. 

Then in April, he loaded up his van and his box-trailer and made the 23-hour 1,400-mile journey, catching the ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland, driving through Holland, Germany, and Poland, to eventually reach Lviv, in the west of Ukraine.

There, he contacted the Rotary clubs of Ukraine, and using their established networks, he arranged for all the items donated by Devon County Council’s recycling centres to be collected by a neurosurgeon and his colleagues from a hospital in Kyiv.

Colin said: “Since the beginning of the war they have seen a huge increase in surgical referrals from around the country, mostly injuries sustained by bomb blasts and collapsing buildings arising from heavy Russian shelling.

“They are desperately short of medical and surgical supplies, so they were delighted to receive the mobility aids and bedding to help in the care of their patients.” 

Now Colin is on his way back to Devon as we speak – and when he returns to Devon he will once again visit recycling centres to collect items for the Ukraine Appeal before loading them up and returning to Ukraine in August. 

Councillor Roger Croad, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Equality, said: “Given the number of civilian and military causalities in this horrific and unjustified war inevitably hospitals are becoming overwhelmed, and many are running short of the basics including bedding and mobility aids for those who have suffered injuries and are recovering.

“Hopefully this small gesture will help ease some of those concerns. The equipment that has been donated may be used but it has been carefully selected to ensure that to all intents and purposes are either new or lightly used.

“I want to thank Colin for his commitment and the Suez staff for helping to make this happen.”