A brave Scots paramedic is heading to Ukraine with an emergency car of medical supplies thanks to kind Ayrshire donations.
Iain Gordon is currently on route to the warzone with an ambulance and trailer packed full of essentials desperately needed on the frontline.
The first responder from Stranraer made a final stop-off before his mammoth journey across Eastern Europe to pick up last minute donations from Ayrshire Women’s Hub.
The Ayr-based charity that supports women and children issued an 11th hour rallying call for children's medicines, bandages and painkillers to be used at a field hospital near Lviv on the Ukraine border with Poland.
Angie-Leigh McPike, founder and director of Ayrshire Women’s Hub, scrambled to get donations after hearing of Iain’s courageous mission.
Angie told Ayrshire Live: “When we saw what Iain was doing we reached out and started trying to collect as many donations as we could.
“I think it is a very brave thing to do, to drive into a warzone into the unknown to help people is just amazing.”
The hub had stepped in to help support millions of women and children impacted by the crisis in Ukraine after the invasion of Russia.
So far they have donated £2,000 in aid and have vowed to support any families who are now settling in Ayrshire after escaping their war-torn homeland.
Iain who has 20 years of experience as a continental truck driver and is a volunteer patient driver, as well as being a trained first responder, set off for Lviv on Thursday and Angie herself told how she made a last minute dash to the shops ahead of his departure.
She said: “I tried to go round the supermarkets to get as many boxes of Calpol and children's medicine as I could.
“It wasn’t easy because of the restrictions in place on buying medicines, I had to do several trips and I had the girls out this morning (Thursday morning).”
Angie has thanked all those who provided generous donations, with a Coylton pharmacist and Wilko in Ayr High Street all digging deep for the cause.
She added: “We can’t thank everyone who has donated enough.
“Steven McCormick of Coylton Pharmacy donated quite a lot of bandages, dressings and stuff which can be used in a field hospital.
“They stepped in at the last minute and just cleared out their own stock to give to Iain.
“Wilko also donated lots of bandages and plasters, we were able to go out and buy £500 worth of medication thanks to generous donations.”
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