An Isle of Wight Councillor will be heading out to Moldova to see the work volunteers are doing to support Ukrainian refugees.
East Cowes Town Councillor and Isle of Wight Council cabinet member for adult social care, Cllr Karl Love will be joining MAD-Aid volunteers next week in Riscani, Moldova.
Ten articulated lorries from the Island
On the Island, MAD-Aid, its staff and volunteers have been spearheading Islanders’ efforts to support those fleeing Ukraine, taking in donations, sorting them out and them driving them to Moldova where they are then handed out.
Based in East Cowes, the charity has now collected and shipped enough locally-collected aid to fill ten articulated lorries.
Five-day trip to Moldova
Now, Cllr Love, who has helped support efforts in his ward, will be travelling overseas to see the aid collected on the Island distributed out around the city.
While on his five-day trip, Cllr Love will then be meeting local volunteers and dignitaries, with guide Victoria Dunford, founder and CEO of MAD-Aid.
He said,
“It’s a great honour to be invited and I will be rolling my sleeves up and getting stuck in and helping wherever I can.
“Our Island has now started to receive refugees through the sponsorship scheme and we anticipate many more will arrive soon. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to loose all that one has spent a lifetime creating.
“The work of MAD-Aid has been invaluable and an important lifeline for many during this conflict. It is a humanitarian crisis and I can feel the support of Island people everywhere I travel for the Ukraine people.
“I hope my visit will offer support and encouragement to the volunteers and demonstrate how this aid has been distributed.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: © With kind permission of Allan Marsh
