South Central Ambulance Service prepares to send aid to Ukraine

Kate Ellis said the items had come from across the region and would not have been used by the service

An ambulance service is sending medical equipment to field hospitals in Ukraine, to help the most severely injured soldiers and civilians.

South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) said the supplies could maintain a field hospital for up to a fortnight.

It said the items could potentially save thousands of lives while they await emergency surgery in hospital.

Supplies have come from Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey and Sussex.

All of the items loaded into the lorry will be taken further into Ukraine by humanitarian groups

They were being packed by staff and volunteers on Friday at Boundary Park in Didcot. Preparations will continue on Saturday.

All of the supplies will fit into a lorry and will go directly to field hospitals.

Kate Ellis, paramedic team leader, said: "SCAS has been very kind and donated items that we don't use any more. We're sending a huge amount of stuff to help those out in the field."

The items will mean severely injured soldiers and civilians can be treated for up to 24 hours before being taken to hospital

The lorries will be driven out of Oxfordshire by Ukrainian nationals on Saturday evening and will be unloaded at a depot in western Ukraine. They will then be taken further into the country by humanitarian groups.

Paul Wilson, from Grove, is helping the effort. His Ukrainian wife Svetlana is in Poland trying to secure a UK visa for her mother, who escaped her home country last week.

"Everything you see here is going directly to Ukraine and it's going to the places that need it the most - Odessa, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv. All of the places where people are injured we are sending medical aid and food to keep them going," he said.

Will Hancock, chief executive of SCAS, said: "We are all extremely proud of this work to support those most in need.

"The resolve everyone has shown to not only keep delivering in the day job after such a tough time of late but also drive forward with this outstanding voluntary programme is truly amazing."