Ex-teacher displays harrowing photos from Ukraine

David Gaston hopes his gallery will remind people the conflict is still ongoing

A former Herefordshire head teacher is showcasing a selection of harrowing photographs taken by him while carrying out aid work in Ukraine.

David Gaston from Peterchurch has been to the war-torn country more than 30 times since Russia's invasion in 2022.

The 60-year-old delivered donations and ferried displaced families to safety in his mini-van.

While he was out there he took thousands of photos, with a select few now on display at St Peter's Church in his home town.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Gaston said: “I think it’s so easy for people to become complacent; for people to move on.

“Partly this is about saying don’t forget this is still going on, this is worse now than it’s ever been.”

What was left of a museum in Kupiansk

One photo shows a family of three, two young boys and their mum, who were at home when the house next door to them was shelled.

Mr Gaston explained how the eldest son had rushed over to search through the rubble with his bare hands before finding human remains.

The trauma of his discovery was so intense he has not spoken a word since.

Another image shows the remains of a building in the town of Kupiansk, which was thought to be a children’s museum before it was hit by a rocket.

Only 30 photographs in Mr Gaston's collection are on display because many others were deemed to be too graphic.

Among the rubble was a child's cuddly toy.

A child's toy found among the rubble in Kupiansk

Mr Gaston said he was happy the photos had been made available for people to see but admitted: "I don’t think it’s possible to adequately show the horror, the fear, the suffering.

"There isn’t a way to encapsulate nearly two years of full scale-war."

The former headteacher is hopeful he will be able to go to Ukraine again but the van he has used to drive there is currently broken down.

The exhibition can be found at the Hub, a café within St Peter's Church in Peterchurch.