Coronavirus: IRA docklands bomb victim helps vulnerable
- Published
Jonathan Ganesh with the donated ambulance car
A victim of the IRA bombing which devastated London's docklands is using a donated ambulance car to support the vulnerable in the capital.
The converted vehicle will provide essential supplies to those who are self-isolating during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jonathan Ganesh, who was badly injured in the 1996 attack, will be one of the drivers of the vehicle.
He said owed the NHS "a tremendous debt of gratitude".
Mr Ganesh, who is trained in first aid, said: "The NHS saved my life due to the horrific injuries I sustained from a terrorist bomb in 1996.
"I have never forgotten the overwhelming medical care and support that I received.”
Two people were killed, many more injured and millions of pounds of damage caused when a bomb in a lorry near South Quay Station was set off.
IRA bombers targeted London's dockland at Canary Wharf in February 1996
Mr Ganesh is president of the Docklands Victims Association (DVA) and its members have registered with the Your NHS Needs You volunteering programme to relieve pressure on the health service.
The DVA has for the past 24 years supported all victims of terrorism and other vulnerable groups.
"I'm so pleased to receive this ambulance today as we have previously been using our own vehicles to help those in need," he said.
"This new vehicle will allow us to expand our services during this national emergency."
The vehicle will also transport patients home after discharge from hospital and carry medical equipment and supplies between NHS services and sites.
It was donated by facilities management company Elite Support Services Ltd and presented to the DVA by DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
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- Published19 April 2020
