Amateur pilots fundraise to deliver aid to Ukraine

Two amateur pilots are fundraising to deliver aid for refugees, hospitals and the military.

Dick Beath and George Gruber from Wiltshire took off in March 2022 for their first trip to the Ukraine border.

They went on to fly another two aid missions last year and are planning more for 2023.

Mr Beath said: "Wars like this take resources, so we have to keep on helping them."

The flight to Radom near the Ukraine border in Poland took Mr Beath and Mr Gruber about eight hours, as reported on BBC Radio Wiltshire.

They were carrying baby products, sanitary products and medical kit for hospitals in Kiev.

In Radom, they brought the items to a distribution centre.

"All these young people - Scouts and Brownies - were sorting the stuff to go to families who were looking after Ukrainian refugees," Mr Beath, who is the chief finance officer at the American museum at Claverton, said.

After the first trip, Mr Beath and Mr Gruber flew to Poland two more times, this time carrying expensive trauma equipment from the NHS and night vision goggles for the military.

"It is not just about getting a plane and flying it," Mr Beath said.

"It is about getting the stuff together, you have to get contacts, everyone has to be on board.

"We have to fit it into our normal lives. It is an act of giving from us," he added.

Mr Beath and Mr Gruber are planning further aid trips to Poland and are fundraising to make it possible.

"I do feel the need to support Ukraine, still.

"It is a very difficult situation and it is not fair that they are not being supported," Mr Beath said.

He added: "I think however old you are, you've got to have these kinds of challenges. You mustn't shy away from them, because they are the stuff of life. They keep us going."

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(editor-in-charge：Press center2)