Examples of Previous Missions

2019

September 2019: John flew with his grandson, Max, to Krakow to buy a 12 seater minibus for Father Rus who runs an orphanage in Transnistria. Delivering the ambulance ran into problems at the Ukrainian border over demands for a 5000 Euro bond to drive through the country. Luckily a local border worker heard that a priest was stuck at customs and after 37 hours negotiated them though in quick time.

It was fascinating to see the rural homes that were dug into the ground to protect against heat and cold with only a mound and a chimney visible as we drove by. The minibus will serve the orphanage school and enable many children from the surrounding villages to be collected and returned who currently have no access to schooling.

2017

September 2017: Another ambulance to Georgia. This time the ambulance was given to a charity called Catharsis in Tblisi, one of the oldest charities in Georgia. They provide resident and day-care for elderly people including daily hot meals for over 300! Hopefully over the next year they will also be able to add a hospice facility. We had several hold ups at customs where we had to unload all the aid from the ambulance. On arrival, a group of the residents treated us to a singing and dance concert!

2016

May 2016: 2nd ambulance to Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine. This was a repeat trip to deliver a 2nd ambulance to the support charity in western Ukraine. This time we were trailed by a small film crew and were able to interview displaced families and soldiers in rehab.

2015

May 2015: Ambulance to Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine. A contact in Caritas in Ukraine linked John up with a charity assisting wounded soldiers and their families and in-country refugees. They did an excellent job of arranging all the customs paperwork and made it a smooth journey. We were surprised at the level of interest in the ambulance when a large press conference was organised before our departure.

2013

September 2013: Ambulance to Nagorno Karabakh. This one had been taken to Armenia a few years ago but it subsequently turned out they really wanted a minibus to ferry medical teams out to the villages to run clinics. We helped fundraise for a minibus for them and took their ambulance on over the border into Nagorno Karabakh.

April 2013: A year after intended, but delayed due to breakdowns and snow in the mountains en-route, we delivered a Mercedes minibus to a monk in Transnistria working for Caritas. He will use it to ferry kids from poor families and orphans from around his locality in to the mission in the village where he provides meals and basic education for them. The minibus will greatly increase the number of kids the mission can provide for.

2012

September 2012: 1970 Dennis fire engine to Corovoda, Albania. This was a 1 week trip to deliver the fire engine and train the local municipal staff on how to use it. The trip was smooth after some last minute repairs before departure and some hold ups for paperwork.

2011

October 2011: Ambulance to Moldova (no.41). This was a very quick and easy trip delivering an ambulance to a Caritas hospital in the capital, Chisinau. The chief of the border guards was a personal friend of the priest we were donating the ambulance to and he had us through the border in record time. Conditions at the hospital are incredibly basic and we will try and help them out with equipment on a future trip.

May 2011: Fire engine + ambulance to Bohemia. This was a first for me, taking a fire engine and ambulance together in convoy. The fire engine was donated to a group of monks called the White Canons to serve a group of local villages and replace a post war Russian vehicle. The ambulance went to Prague to the Knights of Malta, a Christian organisation who look after the poor. We stopped at Colditz for a night on our way down and spent the night in one of the cells. It is now a place for school trips and other organisations to learn about what went on. You have to be in bed for 10 well that was no good for us. We stayed out past curfew and got locked out. This meant we had to break in – which we did very successfully.

2010

October 2010: Cricket gear to Lithuania.

Trip 37: Ambulance to Gramsh, Albania. Alison Gill, Donovan Hall and myself set off for the mountains of Albania. We were delivering an ambulance to a priest and mayor of a small town right up in the Albanian mountains. The authorities were demanding $2500 import tax, which of course I didn’t have. We covered up the signs on the ambulance and entered the country as a camper van. It worked a treat! We were through customs in 1 hour compared to the 2 days it took to clear Albanian customs last time. The priest and the mayor agreed that the ambulance would be shared between the local hospital and fire station and that paperwork wasn’t really necessary. It took us 3 days to get home after hitch-hiking to Tirana, then boat back to Italy and a flight. I’m now planning my next trip to Lithuania for Sept/Oct this year.

October 2010: Ambulance for Caritas in Lithuania. We left England on a beautiful sunny evening from Hull on P&O who very kindly give me half price crossings. Our destination was Marampole. It was a straightforward trip through Europe. When we got to the border to enter Lithuania we were met by the chief of the border guards, this I thought was not the norm. Well it turned out that he is a great friend of the priest we were giving the ambulance to. The border was closed for two hours for their lunch break. The chief took one look at the ambulance which was full of medical supplies and said we could pass, then returned to his 2hr lunch break. Well all the barriers were down, and I did not feel like waiting 2 hours so I calmly got out of the ambulance, opened the barrier, drove through, got out and closed the barrier. Much to my surprise we got away with it. I often think someone up in the sky is looking down and giving me a helping hand. The ambulance will be used to bring in the poor who need emergency treatment in the capital.

2009

October 2009: Ambulance to Armenia. I had to fly to Amsterdam to buy a left-hand drive ambulance because the Armenian government would not allow a right-hand drive vehicle to stay permanently. On our way home the ambulance, a Chevrolet, broke down in the south of England and was left for repair. We finally set off in October. I was accompanied by Deacon Keith Boynes, who had never been on one of these trips before and was in for an experience. We were held up at Turkish customs, they would not let us through without an interpreter to read the vehicle documents. Eventually we found someone to help us through. On arrival the ambulance was given to Caritas to deliver food and clothes to isolated villages in the Armenian mountains.

2008

October 2008: Ambulance to Baku, Azerbaijan. I did this trip with my wife. We drove down through Iran and entered Azerbaijan from the south. This was interesting as most people come in from Georgia to the north.

2007

October 2007: Ambulance to Kosovo. We delivered the ambulance to a remote village which had been very badly affected by the Kosovo conflict.

2006

October 2006: Ambulance to Korce, Albania. We had quite a lot of difficulty getting the ambulance through customs. Eventually we managed to talk our way through by providing some medical supplies to the customs officers for their families.

2005

Just completed! Ambulance to a Caritas owned clinic in Peshkapi, Albania

2004

2004: Ambulance to Murmansk General Hospital, Russia. We were held up at the border for 2 days. For the first time ever, we had to empty the ambulance. The Customs officer did not complete his inspection.

2004: Ambulance to Sarajevo, Bosnia. The ambulance was delivered to Hope and Home for Children. We had no paperwork at all but managed to talk our way through the borders of Croatia and Bosnia.

2003

2003: Ambulance to Baku, Azerbaijan. We had trouble at the border. RH drives are not permitted in Azerbaijan. They held a Cabinet meeting to allow special dispensation. I was invited.

2002

2002: Ambulance to Tbilisi, Georgia. We were impounded by Turkish Customs for 36 hours. The ambulance was given to CARITAS.

2000

2000: Ambulance to Izmit, Turkey. “We had a police escort all the way from the border to our destination.”

2000: Ambulance to Macedonia.

1999

1999: Ambulance to Istanbul, Turkey. “We got a fantastic reception from the Turks. While we were in Istanbul we experienced an earthquake. The corners of houses were falling off. We ran like hell for open ground!”

1999: Ambulance to Elbasan, Albania.

1999: Ambulance to Brendisi, Albania. “We delivered warm clothes, blankets and food directly to the refugee camps before leaving the ambulance for CARITAS. Thank God for little nuns! One got us out of the docks without the necessary papers.”

1998

1998: Ambulance to Duress, Albania.

1998: Ambulance to Lucha, Transylvania. “Our Russian trip was cancelled 1/2 hour before we were due to leave home. So we headed to Sofia in Bulgaria. The Yugoslavs refused us entry. So we headed for Romania. It took 18 hours to get through their border. We eventually delivered the ambulance to Lucha, Transylvania.”

1997

1997: Ambulance to Yorensk, Russia.

1996

1996: Ambulance to Peshcape, Albania for children’s homes run by Feed the Children.

1995

1995: Ambulance to Berate, Albania.

1994

1994: Ambulance to Berate, Albania. “Had great difficulty leaving Albania. We had to hike through Macedonia and then get a boat to Corfu.”

1992

1992: Ambulance to Berate, Albania.