On 28th April, four of the Lodge Rulers in the Province of Bristol set out on a 3,500-mile round-trip to deliver aid to the people of Ukraine. Pat Nagle (Saint Vincent Lodge), Andy Moore (Robert Thorne Lodge), Lee Botterill (Baily Lodge) and Simon Moss (Anchor Lodge) were inspired to support a grassroots charity in Bristol by driving two vans full of humanitarian aid across the continent to help ease the suffering of those most acutely affected by the ongoing conflict.
The planned venture captured the hearts of the Bristol Freemason’s community, and a fundraiser was launched to help support the costs of the rental vans and the fuel. In the space of two months, more than £8,200 was raised, far exceeding the baseline costs of the mission. The surplus funds allowed the Transporter team to purchase four pallets of emergency food supplies at the Ukraine border in addition to the 2.6 tonnes of aid they had already shifted across the breadth of Europe. This has not only allowed the Province of Bristol to have a meaningful and tangible impact on the lives of Ukrainians in the hour of their affliction but has shone a light on the goodness of Freemasonry in general for Bristolians connected with the charity and the cause.
The initial idea for the venture came about during a chance conversation between Pat and the Chief Executive of a Bristol hospice, Frank, who was preparing for his own mission to transport aid to Ukraine. They had met at a charity auction, which was taking place to mark the 150th anniversary of the Saint Vincent Lodge. Determined to follow suit, Pat was delighted to find a similar enthusiasm among the Rulers of the other Bristol Lodges. Andy had already been researching ways to deliver aid to Ukraine, and Simon and Lee, who had both overcome hardship in their own lives, needed little persuasion to get involved. With four drivers, the team could now take two vans full of critical supplies and double the impact of the operation.
Initially, the thought of trying to raise £3,000 to support expenses during a cost of living crisis seemed ambitious. But the response from both inside and outside Freemasonry was phenomenal. With the launch of a Just Giving appeal, family, friends and work colleagues all made generous donations to ensure the success of the mission, epitomising the collective conscience of Britons to stand up for peace and stand against tyranny. One 22-year-old Freemason, who had wanted to join the venture but was too young for the van rental company to insure, donated £250, saying, “As I promised during my Initiation, now was my opportunity to act.”
One of the Lodge meetings raised £310 from members and visitors, which was promptly match-funded by the Province, and the Provincial Grand Master contributed £500 from his discretionary fund to be spent on dried foods at the delivery point.
The response from the public continued, with donations continuing to hit the Just Giving page, even as the team journeyed through Europe, and frequent messages of support through Whatsapp groups and Facebook pages buoyed the foursome towards their destination. It was a wonderful demonstration of how Freemasonry was, literally and metaphorically, being used as a vehicle to spread hope and relief.
When they reached their destination, the team were full of excitement and adrenalin, yet there was a hint of sadness when meeting their Ukrainian contacts. The language barrier was palpable and only overcome by Yuri’s broken English and Pat’s restaurant-level Russian. As the unloading began, dozens of boxes of generators, clothes, baby food, blankets, walking aids and medical supplies started to mount. When 296 boxes were counted out, Simon commented, “I can’t remember getting this many boxes into the vans!”
With four pallets of dried pasta, tinned food and hygienic products also loaded up, the Ukrainians returned across the border in order to meet the curfew. Through a partner NGO in Ukraine, the donated goods will be dispersed over the coming weeks, bringing valued relief and a strong reminder that they are not alone.
Setting out on a bright April morning, the four members were sent on their way by around 25 volunteers, who had gathered to help load the vans and wave them off. Filled with excitement and a deep sense of purpose, the team reached Folkestone by 3 pm and, after a brief negotiation with the French border patrol, joined the other European freighters on Le Shuttle. From Calais, they drove through France and Belgium before stopping overnight in Essen in northern Germany. Recharged by 5 hours of sleep and a meatless Big Mac, they made good ground along the German autobahns and pushed on to the Czech Republic. The beauty of humanity was again reinforced when a brief lunch stop at a rural bakery prompted a young baker to gift a 40kg sack of flour to be passed forward to Ukrainians in need. A precious reminder of the universality of the support for Ukraine’s plight.
The rolling Czech hills took the team past Prague and Brno before dropping south into Slovakia, where they encountered thick walls of ground fog and clouds of bugs that bounced off the vans like hailstones. After a stern lesson in the Schengen border convention, an agreement was reached with a zealous Hungarian border official to allow the journey to proceed, and the team spent a short night in the city of Györ.
Over 850km of road lay ahead on Day 3 as the Transporters crossed into Romania and wound their way up and over the Carpathian Mountain range. As the sun disappeared in the West, the convoy crested a mountain peak in the Rodnei National Park, offering breathtaking views across the valleys as a reward for their endeavours. Progressing onwards, the companions wound their way through the rustic villages of eastern Romania, with their colourful wooden houses and beautiful white Orthodox churches, where cars gave way to horse and cart, and villagers eked out a living selling strawberries and watermelons at the roadside. Reaching Suceava by midnight, they took some rest and headed out in the morning to meet their Ukrainian counterparts in the car park of a food wholesaler on the outskirts of town.
While spoken language proved challenging, the language of brotherhood and relief resounded as 296 boxes of food, blankets, clothing, generators and medical supplies were unloaded from the vans. The cargo was carefully transferred into the Ukrainian vehicles, along with four pallets of additional food supplies from the wholesaler, funded by Bristol Freemasons. Emotions then caught up with the Transporters as the realisation struck that the Ukrainians would be returning to the uncertainty and dread of an active war zone, where atrocities are being committed on a daily basis. It briefly took the wind out of the volunteers. Before they parted, a video call was initiated with a translator, allowing the Transporters and the recipients of the aid to converse more freely. The Lodge rulers conveyed a message of solidarity and hope, saying, “When the war is over, we will come to Kyiv to celebrate your victory. We are with you. All strength to you!” They replied, “We will wait for you in Kyiv, and we will greet you in Chernivtsy. We will show you all of Ukraine!”
As the Ukrainians departed, the four Bristol Freemasons began their long journey home. The mood that day became flat, and sombre as emotion and fatigue came over the team. While knowing they had accomplished something significant, their contribution at the same time felt somewhat trivial when there were so many people who had lost so much. The hope remains that one good deed inspires another and that any publicity of this undertaking encourages others to help in whatever way they can.
The foursome took time to celebrate their endeavours in Oradea before pushing home through Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. The final day of the journey took them more than 1,250km from Nuremberg to Bristol in just under 20 hours. Weary from the road, they were all grateful for the extra bank holiday weekend that lay ahead. They reconnected with their families, shared stories of their adventure, and joined in the pomp and pageantry of the Coronation of King Charles III.
From Bristol with Love for Ukraine was founded in the wake of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Organised and led by a sweet and driven couple, Razvan and Ileana, who have lived in Bristol for more than ten years, the charity has established an engaged community to gather, sort, package and deliver donated items for Ukrainians who have lost homes, loved ones and livelihoods.
If you are interested in supporting the charity or replicating their achievements in your own area, you can find out more at https://www.frombristolwithlove.org/.
Humanity will prevail!
