Swindon unites for massive team effort supporting Ukraine refugees

Phoenix Enterprises teamed up with businesses, political figures and volunteers from around the town to create the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership which will send lorry-loads of supplies to the war-torn country and welcome citizens who are re-homed here.

Kind-hearted Swindonians flooded the charity’s Elgin Industrial Estate base with donations after the Polish Community Centre had no more room for them.

Now, the borough council has leased part of the Carriage Works as a space dedicated to collecting and packing up goods which will be ready to send 1,200 miles to the Poland/Ukraine border or to Moldova, where many of Ukraine’s displaced citizens have ended up.

So far, more than 130 tonnes of supplies have been transported after being packed up in Phoenix’s HQ and other places in Swindon.

Many community groups around the region have been organising their own fundraising campaigns but the Swindon partnership has something they don’t have – a regular and reliable transport link which can be used to send the supplies where they need to be going.

So, the board is inviting these initiatives from wider Wiltshire, Bristol, Somerset and other parts of the south west to drop off donations in Swindon or at RAF Brize Norton so that MAN Trucks can get them through customs and across European borders.

Mike Bowden from Phoenix is a co-chair of the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership’s board.

He recalled how, when fellow co-chair Vadym Gurevych was on the phone to his parents, they heard a whistle and explosion from a missile that had just landed one street away, which Vadym’s Ukrainian relatives said happens “all the time”.

Mike added: “It's a very emotional subject. They need physical aid now and every good quality item we receive will go to them, we are absolutely committed to putting everything we can into this.

“The momentum we've gained is tangible and should mean we become the regional hub for aid distribution. Our offer is unusual - possibly even unique - because we have good access to haulage.

"We will also be able to provide welcome packs to all the refugees arriving to start a new safe life in the most generous and kindly town in the UK which will set the standard for others to follow.

"I met Taras Pavylyk three weeks ago. He is brave, courageous, inspirational and a natural leader, and totally committed to getting as much aid to the Polish/Ukrainian border as possible .

"His parents live in Kyiv and hear Russian bombs and missiles every day."

Along with Taras, the board includes fellow Ukranian Lesia Moscalenco, South Swindon parish councillor Stan Pajak, and Ieva Delininkaityte from Lithuania.

She said: “This support is the only way as human beings should act at a time like this. I was donating money and trying to help as much as I could, then I found out about the brilliant work Phoenix was doing and joined the partnership board.

“So many good people are experiencing this horror in Ukraine. Sometimes, I feel helpless and sick and lose hope because of what’s happening, but we have to fight back with humanitarian help, and by opening our house to Ukrainians who need a safe place.

“I’m so proud to be part of this beautiful thing which has been created to help as many people as we can. Swindon is a wonderful place with great people and the support I’ve seen so far gives me hope that we can do it.

“Each individual has a big impact so we want to make change and inspire more people to support this scheme.”

The partnership was officially launched at a press conference on Tuesday, attended by Phoenix clients, business representatives, Swindon Town legend Don Rogers, and the Bishop of Swindon.

South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland praised everyone involved in the ambitious team effort.

He said: “We’re here because of the appalling invasion of a sovereign state on our continent and a war of aggression which is seeing crimes being unveiled day by day and sheer horror inflicted on men, women and children.

“In the face of aggression, we see acts of love and generosity and kindness. Human compassion at its very best and strongest. I’m proud to work alongside all of you to make sure we can get everything working.”

Anyone interested in volunteering at the Carriage Works donation hub, donating money towards the cause, or requesting transport for their own aid initiative should email Mike@phoenixenterprises.co.uk

Phoenix overwhelmed by donations

PHOENIX Enterprises usually focuses on helping 90 people with mental health issues and learning difficulties improve their skills and move into the world of work.

So when its Swindon site suddenly turned into a drop-off point for donations, the service users and staff had to get used to a new day-to-day routine.

Production and commercial manager Karen Hyde got the ball rolling by suggesting the trustees offer their support to the Polish community’s existing efforts and they happily agreed to do so. This proved to be more successful than expected.

Nicknamed ‘Captain’ Karen for her pioneering work, she said: “We are a mental healthy charity which supports people with learning disabilities, so we had to think about the wellbeing of our service users first and foremost.

“They helped sort the boxes but we couldn’t do it all ourselves, so we opened on Saturdays specially so that more volunteers from Swindon's Polish and Ukrainian communities could come in and help us sort it all.

“It was quite overwhelming and there came a point where we could not cope with it any more, but with the Carriage Works space now available, we can go back to our usual schedule while still collecting individual donations.

“Now the Humanitarian Aid Partnership is following in our footsteps and basing their work on the efficient way we ran things, which is great to see.”

Chloe Jenkins has been a service user at Phoenix for two years and helped coordinate the packing up of donations given by countless generous Swindonians.

She said: “People have been so amazing. It gives Ukraine hope to know strangers out there care about their situation.

“It’s been quite hectic here but in a good way. I suffer from anxiety so being isolated because of the pandemic during much of the last two years, and now seeing the conflict on the news, hearing about all the horrible things that are happening over there and worrying about the innocent people who are being hurt has affected my mental health.

"But I absolutely love helping other people, so being part of this support effort, sorting the baby food out and knowing it’s making a difference and will put smiles on people's faces helps to take my mind off my anxiety.”

Top transport and a warm welcome

THE Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership's two main aims are helping those who are fleeing Ukraine and making sure any who arrive in the UK are properly looked after.

Dennis Evans is working with MAN Trucks to arrange the transport route and coordinate aid parcels collected by Carterton Aid with help from RAF Brize Norton.

Baby food, hygiene products, nappies, and tinned food are the most vital and in-demand supplies at the moment.

Mr Evans said: “We used our contacts from 40 years in logistics to loan transport, because that’s the biggest hurdle for aid collections. The biggest difficulty for us was creating our own customs forms for what’s in the vans and lorries.

“To ensure it goes to the right places, we are taking them there ourselves and have fundraised almost £18,000 in 10 days to make this happen.”

To donate, visit https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dennis-evans-1

Swindon Borough Council leader David Renard gave his thanks to everyone who has joined the partnership and explained how the local authority would be doing all it could to help refugees settle in the town.

The Warm Welcome team set up last year to help asylum seekers from Afghanistan is now preparing support for Ukrainians to help them meet their host families, register with a GP and find employment. For more information, visit www.swindon.gov.uk/ukraine.

The partnership is supported by Swindon communities, MAN Trucks, Sir Robert Buckland MP, RAF Brize Norton, Swindon Borough Council, Phoenix Enterprises, Neptune, Trailer Stage Services, Swindon Town FC, Marlborough Golf Club, Knights Tailoring Ltd, Rose Earl Newsagents, Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey, Des Evans OBE, the Bond family, Ronnie Stronge, Don Rogers, The Bishop of Swindon, Christ Church Swindon, Smart Designs, Anthony and Sonia St John, Mario’s Trattoria, Ten Green Bottles, John Trollope, and Willmotts.