27 April 2025 – Sunflower Scotland donated 250 packs of nappies, walking aids and an ambulance to medics in Kherson.
We would like to wholeheartedly thank Rotary Club Linlithgow and Bo’ness for fundraising and fully covering the cost of an ambulance. And our sincere thanks to West Lothian Council for donating over 40 boxes (250 packs) of adult nappies, as well as fifty crutches and walking aids.
Sunflower Scotland knew that the humanitarian situation in Kherson was absolutely dreadful. The Russians target everybody in the city with ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones. Recently, they destroyed several ambulances. We knew the city’s medics needed help.
Wonderful donations
Our long-time supporters, Rotary Club Linlithgow and Bo’ness, were really kind and they fundraised the money we need to buy an excellent 3.5 tonne ambulance. It was in a really fantastic condition, has about 105k miles on the clock. It has a stretcher bed at the back, and all electrics in good working order.
We spoke with West Lothian Council, and they were really kind to donate medical supplies which they had in storage.
Getting ready
Sunflower’s team prepared and set off from Edinburgh to Kherson. Stevie Blythe, a former NHS ambulance driver, drove the ambulance. Alistair Davidson drove a van (for frontline medics in Sumy), and Oleg drove a Mitsubishi Outlander, which was donated to the medics of the 126th battalion.
Our good friends Prehospital Aid and Care Worldwide donated a 4×4 Ambulance. Jenny (Zhenya) – our volunteer from Kryvyi Rih – arrived by bus from Ukraine, and helped us to take this car back to medics in Ukraine.
We took a ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam, and drove through Europe to the border in Poland. From there, we drove all the way through Ukraine via Vinnytsia.
Helping medics in Kherson
On the 27th April we reached Kherson. It was a bright spring day. Under the clear blue sky, the city looked absolutely deserted. We drove fast, only meeting a few buses and a couple of old, soviet-era cars on the roads.
Finally we reached our destination. We were told not to mention the name of the hospital, and not to post photos which can be used to identify it. Anastasia, the hospital administrator, told Oleg that everyone was hiding from Russian drones. She pointed towards the centre of the courtyard, and explained that a few weeks ago a ballistic missile hit right there.
We unloaded the supplies we brought from Scotland. Anastasia explained that they will be using adult nappies for the patients in the hospice. She told Oleg that in 2025, foreign humanitarian aid almost dried out. The 250 packs we brought will cover their needs for a month, and she was really grateful.
After unloading our supplies, we drove to a rendezvous point. There, we donated the ambulance to frontline medics of the 39th brigade. They are using it to evacuate the wounded to the hospitals. The ambulance is already saving lives.
Our work continues
We were leaving Kherson, but not for long. We were shocked that they city was experiencing an extreme shortage of medical supplies. Back in Scotland, we are contacting all medical organisations looking for supplies. Hopefully, we will come back with more medical aid, and help this war-torn city.
Sunflower’s team stayed overnight not far away, because we were preparing to make a big humanitarian delivery to 150 families in a village north of Kherson.
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