Putney resident Jonathan Callaway is preparing to drive an ambulance across Europe to Ukraine for the second time — and he’s just £340 short of hitting his fundraising target to help send another fully equipped vehicle on a future mission.
Callaway, who first volunteered with Medical Life Lines Ukraine (MLLU) in 2022, will set off early on Sunday 7 September to join a convoy of refurbished, aid-filled ambulances heading for Lviv in western Ukraine. The ambulances are donated and reconditioned in the UK and then handed over to hospitals and rescue services still grappling with acute shortages caused by the war.
So far, Callaway has raised £7,660 of an £8,000 goal through 84 individual donations. The funds will go towards the purchase and preparation of another ambulance, adding to the more than £18,000 he raised two years ago through local presentations to the Putney Society, Wandsworth Society, Putney Rotary and U3A.
“I did not think the humanitarian aid being delivered by MLLU would still be as vitally needed today as it was then,” Callaway said in a recent appeal. “Tragically it looks like its work will continue to be needed for years to come.”
Donations can be made online and are eligible for Gift Aid through British-Ukrainian Aid, a UK-registered charity.
Winter pressure mounts
Medical Life Lines Ukraine, a volunteer-run initiative, has delivered over 100 ambulances to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 — alongside 25 generators and one all-terrain rescue crane. Working in coordination with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and emergency services, MLLU focuses on hospitals and frontline teams whose vehicles have been destroyed or depleted.
Each ambulance costs around £20,000 to buy, refurbish and deliver. Any excess funds are used to purchase vital medical equipment: everything from defibrillators and crutches to rescue tools, blankets, clothes and even dog food for search-and-rescue animals.
“This winter will be a harsh and challenging one,” the charity warns. “Russia has intentionally focused its attacks on Ukraine’s power infrastructure and hospitals—both vital to civilian survival in freezing conditions.”
Despite the drop in international media attention, demand for aid remains unrelenting. The MLLU convoys are not just about supplies, but solidarity.
“This work has saved countless lives and, perhaps more importantly, shown the people of Ukraine that a huge number of people in the outside world are acutely aware of their plight and keen to help them in whatever way we can,” Callaway said.
Final push for funding
With just £340 left to raise, supporters in Putney and beyond have a chance to help Callaway cross the line before his departure. MLLU’s operations depend entirely on donations and volunteers, and the charity is always looking for new supporters, sponsors and convoy drivers.
More information is available at www.medicallifelines.org.uk.
Donations to Jonathan’s fundraiser can be made online here.
“Every ambulance is a message of solidarity,” Callaway added. “It says: we haven’t forgotten you.”
