Wakefield couple packing up their motorhome with hundreds of presents to give to children at three Ukraine hospitals

Paul Glover and his wife Pauline, from Grange Moor, will be setting off on December 11 in their motorhome to distribute hundreds of shoe boxes of donated gifts to children in three Lviv hospitals and a refugee centre.

This will be Paul’s sixth trip to Ukraine.

On one of his trips he visited 86 children in a refugee centre.

Paul said: “Not many had parents left. It was in a poor state – that makes you come back and do it again.”

Previous trips have seen him give out £1,000 worth of British helmets, seven bomb disposal suits and 600 soldier’s bags filled with socks, candles and sweets.

He has also donated uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices to hospitals which can maintain power for life support machines and computers.

As well as taking more than 600 shoe boxes filled with donated sweets, soft toys and puzzles, Paul and his wife will transport four blood pressure monitors which each stand at five feet tall.

The two-day journey will see the pair sail from Hull to Rotterdam, then through to Germany, Poland and Ukraine.

Paul said hospitals in Ukraine are struggling for medical equipment. He has previously taken catheters, walking sticks and wheelchairs.

“We’re taking flashing lights this time and playing music round the wards,” he said.

“When we go we give each kid a present.”

Paul said the donations from local people and Flockton School, who donated around 40 shoe boxes, were a big help.

“Thank you to everyone that’s donated to us,” he said.