Guernsey trio send third aid vehicle to Ukraine

Three young people from Guernsey are preparing to send a third converted vehicle to Ukraine to support front-line evacuations.

Fergus MacInnes, Daisy Livesey and Emile Gonder have organised the project, refurbishing a Nissan Trailfinder with the help of mechanic Craig Whitley.

The vehicle will be driven to Mykolaiv, where it will be converted into an ambulance before being delivered to a Ukrainian military unit.

Emile Gonder, who will drive the vehicle to Ukraine, said: "Overall, I'm feeling very optimistic, though the drive is quite daunting."

Gonder said: "We're very grateful for the opportunity to make another delivery.

"This vehicle, as well as a generator and clothes we're carrying, will make a difference for many people."

Daisy Livesey said the group had overcome significant mechanical challenges to get the vehicle ready.

She said: "Craig found the Trailfinder for us about a year ago but it had some pretty serious problems and needed a lot of welding to fix the chassis."

"We've put 6mm (0.24in) steel plates on the bottom to fix the issue, it's seriously thick."

Ms Livesey said she was surprised by the continued support for the project.

She said: "I'm just overjoyed that we are still receiving donations; not just money, but generators and vehicles.

"We didn't expect to be able to do multiple projects and so it's wonderful that we can keep doing this work."

Gonder said the group hoped to send another vehicle this summer.

He said: "We're keen to do more trips like this, so if anyone knows where we could source 4x4 SUVs or small generators, that would be wonderful."

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