Bob the Bus, a well-known community transport vehicle, has been unable to join an aid convoy to Ukraine due to breaking down.
The charity Ukrainian Action acquired one of the Totnes Bob the Bus buses for the journey but it broke down before setting off. It had been part of a fleet of six vehicles being used to take essential supplies – the other five departed on Wednesday along with a replacement minibus.
The bus company, ran by Totnes and Rural Community Transport, received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in May.
Volunteer Adam Steward said the buses were packed “to the roofs with vital humanitarian aid” and it was unfortunate Bob the Bus could not be fixed it time for the journey.
‘Limp mode’
He said: “Last minute disaster really – we’re all set to go, all fully loaded… with just a last minute problem, [we took] the vehicle on a little run round the village, it’s gone into limp mode.
“We just can’t take the chance of it going in all honesty, it’s got 2,000 miles ahead of it so unfortunately it’s not going to go today as planned.”
Steward said Bob the Bus would be going on its next mission within the next two months and that, for now, a replacement bus had taken its place.
“These minibuses are typically used for evacuations at frontline villages – the brave rescuers have to remove elderly people and disabled people from frontline villages and of course they can pack lots of luggage and animals and these people into the vehicle,” he said.
A group of volunteers set off from Stoke Gabriel on Wednesday morning [BBC]
Bob the Bus driver Jimmy Edmonds lost his son Josh in a road accident and is part of the Good Grief project, a charity which helps grieving parents.
He said he was going out to talk to Ukrainian people about their experiences of grief and he wanted to do his bit on this trip to help.
He said: “I’ve got boxes and boxes of medical aid, there’s some fishing nets here to help prevent the drone attacks.
“There are generators, lots of medical equipment, there are Zimmer frames, there are wheelchairs.”
Ukrainian Action said it had taken more than 100 vehicles over and had raised more than £300,000 to help purchase them.
Isabele Wart and Olena Mykhailova waved the convoy off on Wednesday [BBC]
Host Isabele Wart and refugee Olena Mykhailova waved off the convoy from Stoke Gabriel on Wednesday morning.
Wart said: “For me, it just means that Ukraine is not forgotten and I think that’s really, really important particularly as the war goes on.
“I’m just really proud of this community and what people across Devon have done and I think it’s remarkable that we’ve been continuing to be able to send aid.
“I just want to give a message to the Ukrainian people that we will be with them for however long it takes.”
Mykhailova said the village was “very kind for Ukraine”.
She said: “Every month this village and Ukraine Action help Ukraine.
“I say every day thank you, thank you so much this country, these people, this village, these amazing people.”
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