Friends to travel 1,200 miles in aid mission

Winkie Fry and Stephen Ryder will spend 36 hours driving towards Ukraine

A pair of friends are hoping to travel 1,200 miles to Ukraine to deliver potentially life-saving aid.

Packed with supplies, Stephen Ryder, 69, from Westbury in Wiltshire, and Winkie Fry, from Bruton in Somerset, plan to drive a second-hand ambulance from Dover to Lviv in January.

Working with Mighty Convoy, a volunteer-run UK charity which has already led 18 trips to the country, the pair need to raise £7000 to fund the trip.

Mr Ryder said he decided "to do something" after becoming "fed up with people wringing their hands and saying how terrible the situation in Ukraine was" despite "not taking action".

"It's just the unfairness of it all, which is why I'm doing this," he added.

The Mighty Convoy group will travel 1,200 miles from Dover to Calais, on through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland before reaching Lviv in Ukraine, a journey Mr Ryder said was "important".

"We estimate it will take 36 hours in total but it will be so worth it," said Mr Ryder, who presents on Warminster Community Radio and formerly worked as a retail area manager.

While aid is supplied, the £7,000 they hope to raise will pay for their vehicle, fuel, insurance and passage into Ukraine.

Stephen says he isn't scared of the challenge ahead

The granddad has already received support from his local community, including Westbury Leigh Primary School who have organised a fundraising bake-sale.

Mr Ryder will share the driving with Ms Fry, with the retirees hoping to share updates from Ukraine with their supporters back in the UK.

Mr Ryder said: "Winkie Fry is a remarkable woman, she's quite well known in Somerset as she's run several businesses. We believe in a lot of the same things, like the importance of community."

While Lviv is 600 miles from the frontline, visiting is not without risk.

"I am getting a little concerned, especially when you read about all the things the Russians are doing but I wouldn't say we're scared. It's going to be so worthwhile," added Mr Ryder.