MP drives 1,300 miles to deliver aid to Ukraine

Rachel Taylor (in the middle) said she was honoured to be asked to drive one of the ambulances

An MP has driven an ambulance full of humanitarian aid 1,300 miles to Ukraine.

Rachel Taylor, MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, completed the three-day trip from her constituency to the Poland-Ukraine border on 31 July.

The journey formed part of a long-running charitable initiative formed by LKQ UK & Ireland, a company that distributes automotive parts.

Ms Taylor said she had been "honoured" to have been asked by the company to drive the ambulance, adding it was an "extraordinary experience".

Dawid Kozlowski has seen thousands of pounds worth of medication be sent to Ukraine since the war started

A convoy of ambulances started their journey at LKQ's headquarters in Birch Coppice Business Park in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

It included overnight stops in Germany and Poland before reaching the border.

Ms Taylor's ambulance was the 50th to be driven in the initiative.

Dawid Kozlowski, a demand supply planner at LKQ UK & Ireland, has co-ordinated the delivery of more than 200 tonnes of aid since the war broke out in 2022, including 34 ambulances and more than £6,000 worth of prescription medicine.

"We have always focused on the most practical and immediate needs – medical supplies, vehicles, and support for children," he said.

Mr Kozlowski, who has also overseen more than a thousand Christmas gifts to Ukrainian children, was honoured with a Volunteer Award in BBC CWR's Make A Difference Awards in 2023.

"The suffering of those in Ukraine continues to be a big issue at the heart of my community, and the support we've had from the company to help those in need has made an incredible difference," he said.