From Greystones To Ukraine

Running Up That Bill

t’s been a long week for Philip Flynn, Richie Murray and Joey Morrison, but one that’s also gone by in the blink of an eye.

Having headed out to Poland’s Rzeszow last Wednesday, the Greystones trio have spent each and every day loading up their truck with essential supplies and heading to the border village of Medyka.

Where thousands of tired, hungry and distraught Ukrainian refugees are arriving on a daily basis as they flee Russia’s invasion of their country.

Working as a relay team, taking over the trio of fellow film construction workers already there, the lads hit the ground running.

“We started last Thursday morning,” says Richie, “taking over from the lads by first shopping at the cash and carry, buying tinned meat and pasta, followed by the medical wholesalers for much-needed supplies. Once we had our shopping list of essentials filled, we headed to the distribution center close to Medyka, to offload our supplies to another van which was driven directly into Kiev and other places in Ukraine, our contacts there – all women drivers, as their husbands have signed up – getting it directly to the frontline.

“Once this was sorted, we drove to Medkya itself, to help refugees passing through into Poland, and beyond…”

Witnessing mothers and fathers dragging suitcases whilst also trying to reassure their children that everything was going to be okay had an immediate effect on the lads.

“This was a heartbreaking and disturbing experience, to say the least,” says Phil. “The fact that these people don’t know exactly where they’re going where they’ll end up. They just need to keep heading away from what was very recently their home. Each one of them was suffering a cruelty that’s too dark to try and fathom, and to be able to offer them a little relief, a little joy, was a little overwhelming.”

Handing out simple items such power banks for phones, Kinder eggs and lollipops, and bottles of bubbles, made a big difference in that moment.

“After spending some hours there, we headed to a holding compound for refugees just outside Medkya,” continues Phil. “There were hundreds of beds in each room, and again, having somewhere for people to lay down and sleep after such long, harrowing journeys is such a crucial part of these aid operations.”

Repeating this journey for the past eight days, getting up at 7am and returning at 9.30pm, the Greystones trio have found themselves spending over €3,000 daily on food and other essentials. Which is why the donations have been so crucial.

You can donate on Revolut to josephb5rr, or the new trio taking over tomorrow – Graham Waters plus Stephen and Ruth Cooke from Bray – to grahamg35a. Phil, Richie and Joey will be flying home late tonight.

“This has been a life-changing experience for us all,” finishes Richie, “and we’d like to thank everyone for their support and donations, which have gone straight to the people who need it most…”