MUCH-NEEDED supplies donated to Ukraine by generous Swindonians have made it to a newly-liberated part of the war-torn country.
News footage from the city of Lyman broadcast on BBC News earlier this week included images of frontline troops with boxes full of essential goods.
An eagle-eyed member of the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership noticed something familiar about the markings and contents of those boxes - they had been collected and loaded onto lorries by that very group.
For the non-profit which has spent months arranging for 700 tonnes of supplies to be sent via 38 lorries with 600 boxes each to help those who have not fled the country, this welcome sight proved the donations are reaching the people who need them most in heavily-contested parts of the Eastern European warzone.
The partnership's leader Mike Bowden said: "It was great to see our supplies on the news because it creates a strong link between what the people of Swindon are doing and what's happening in Ukraine.
"On the one hand, it does not matter whose aid it is as long as the people over there are being helped, but it is a proud and emotional moment for us. It shows this tiny charity of unpaid volunteers in Swindon is having a tangible impact.
"We hope it will inspire others to help or donate money and aid, and do something that will make a difference.
"Donations have been drying up a bit now we're seven months in, and we're worried about the winter because people have been made homeless and it'll be -20C over there."
On Saturday, Ukrainian forces recaptured the hub town of Lyman in the east, near the Luhansk regional border. Russia's military had turned Lyman into a logistical base. Ukrainian troops are now moving towards Russian-held Luhansk.
Team member Nataliya Suhoveeva said: "I was so happy to see our supplies made it there.
"When the war started, many different groups began collecting things and sending lorries over and it became hard to keep track of what went where.
"But now we are working directly with Ukrainian charities and volunteers on the ground so we know it's reaching the right destinations.
"Every week, we receive pictures of people with the donations they received - they went to hospitals and an orphanage recently.
"We could not do this on our own. We are lucky to be working with a team of different people who collect supplies, store them in the Carriage Works warehouse, load them onto lorries and drive to Poland and take them over the border."
Their efforts have been praised by local politicians.
South Swindon MP Robert Buckland said: "This is so inspiring and a great way to promote the appeal."
Labour candidate for South Swindon Heidi Alexander added: "The war in Ukraine may have slipped from the number one news spot on our TV screens, but the conflict is still raging and there is still horrendous suffering.
"The work of the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership in getting aid into towns like Lyman is inspirational.
"The generosity of people in Swindon is directly helping Ukrainians in areas besieged by war - credit must go to the team at the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership who have enabled this relief effort and provided a way for people in Swindon to stand in solidarity with a country torn apart by war."
Mr Bowden hopes this will show the important role homegrown good causes play in the global aid effort.
He added: "The time is right for some of the government's £42m Disaster Emergency Fund to go to smaller charities, not just the big ones with CEOs on large salaries."
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