Welsh Scout leader completes 50th trip to deliver medical aid to Ukraine

Luke James

A Welsh Scout leader has made his fiftieth delivery of life-saving medical aid to Ukraine.

Shaun Hopkins, a 45-year-old IT expert and Scouts volunteer from Newport, began making the 2,500 mile round trip shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Since then, he has spent around 500 days on the road ferrying medical equipment to Ukraine in a transit van and this week delivered 12 hospital beds donated by Cardiff University.

“Like many people, we were sat at home as a family watching the full scale invasion unfolding on TV,” Hopkins told Nation.Cymru from the town of Ivano-Frankivsk. “We had a discussion, with my teenage sons and my wife, about what was going on.

“They saw the scale of what was happening, people trying to get out, and how we had to try to do something to try and help them. We decided as a family to stand up and try to support them there and then.

“I see a lot of Wales in Ukraine, with the language and history – John Hughes and the miners [in Donetsk]. We’ve got a lot in common.”

Expertise

After reading reports that aid shipments were being blocked due to customs problems, Hopkins initially offered to use his expertise in e-commerce to complete the paperwork for deliveries.

He worked with ferry companies and ports to ensure that supplies from charities as far away as Australia made it through the border, and ended up driving them the rest of the way.

“I was asked then by the Australians to set up a supply chain to help them get aid into Ukraine. Palettes and palettes of medical supplies,” said Hopkins.

“Because of the value of it, I ended up driving it myself. It was originally supposed to go to Poland but, when we got to Poland, there was a bit of chaos at the border and the humanitarian warehouse was a bit unorganised.

“With the value of it, we were a bit concerned it wouldn’t end up where it was needed so I decided on the spot to drive to Lviv on my own and meet my contact at the Catholic university.

“I didn’t really want someone else to do it just in case it got pinched. It all went from there really.”

Over the last two and a half years, Hopkins has delivered medical supplies from Wales and around the world to hospitals from Lviv in the west of Ukraine to Dnipro on the frontline in the east.

The Aneurin Bevan Hospital in Ebbw Vale, the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr, Morriston Hospital in Swansea and Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth are among others that have previously donated medical supplies that can’t be used any longer at home.

Convoys

On top of driving, Hopkins has helped organise around 200 other convoys and convinced ferry and air companies like Quantas Airlines to use free freight space to fly aid into Europe.

“Every trip takes an average of around 10 days and it’s probably now around 500 odd days of being on the road since we started doing this,” he explained.

“I’ve had the experience of meeting many of the recipients of the aid that we’ve been delivering and seeing the difference it’s making. Otherwise I don’t think I would have been able to have the energy to continue.

“The surgeons have told me that they’ve done thousands of life altering operations, saving limbs.”

The Ukrainian community in Wales presented Hopkins with a certificate on the countries’ independence day in recognition of his efforts.

“Your selfless efforts and dedication have provided hope and strength during these challenging times,” it says.

“Your compassion and generosity are a true reflection of the bonds of friendship between our nations.”

Hopkins set out on his 50th delivery, accompanied by fellow volunteer Jenny Jenkins of Aberystwyth, from Cardiff on Monday and delivered the hospital beds to a new rehabilitation centre in Ternopil, which treats soldiers who have been seriously wounded on the frontline.

The dedicated Welshman, who has a spinal condition which requires him to walk with crutches, plans to continue his deliveries for as long as his health allows.

Medical equipment 

In fact, he wants the Welsh and UK Governments to give more expired medical equipment to Welsh Aid for Ukraine, which currently depends on donations from individual members of NHS staff.

The next trip will though be slightly delayed as Hopkins is currently stuck in Ukraine while his van is repaired.

“We’ve done nearly 200,000 miles in that van and the one wheel has decided to give up,” he said. “That’s now in the garage. We’re hoping to get back home as soon as we can and start the whole fundraising process again because it costs us about £1500 per trip in fuel.

“When there’s a shortfall I’ve got to get back home and it comes out of my own pocket.

“But it’s a really worthy cause because what’s going on out here directly affects us in Wales, from the cost-of-living crisis as a minimum through to the possibility of a much wider conflict where my own sons might even be involved.

“I’m really motivated to continue to try to help as much as possible as much as my health allows. It’s my main focus now at the moment to try and cut the amount of waste in the NHS and get that to where it’s needed.”