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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Sian Traynor

East Lothian father and daughter to take on three day drive to Ukrainian border

A father and daughter from East Lothian will take on a three-day-drive to the Ukrainian border to deliver vital donations to those in need.

Rachel Eadie, 22, and her father Fraser, 52, have appealed to the community to help them fill their van with essential products as they head to Eastern Europe.

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"Horrified" by the ongoing events in Ukraine, the family had reached out to an organisation, The Fire Station, in Poland, who have been taking goods to refugees as they cross the border.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Rachel shared they had been told conditions are bleak as thousands of Ukrainians wait days to get out of danger.

She said: "The queue to get across the border is over 40km long and it is taking women, children and the elderly approximately two days to cross.

"There are no toilet facilities and there is a shortage of food and water. The fire station team are shipping emergency supplies to the border to distribute as they arrive into Poland."

With an overwhelming amount of donations already given to the Eadie family, a final collection will take place on March 13 between 11am-5pm.

From there, Rachel and Fraser will begin the long journey across Europe to Southern Poland, with the pair already concerned about delays they may face.

Rachel, a bartender in Seton Sands, added: "I haven't driven that distance before but my dad has, so we are just trying to be prepared as much as possible.

"We will have to go through several border controls, and all of the stuff will need to be checked each time, so we're going to make lists of everything to make it as easy as possible for them and us."

Collecting items from nappies to sanitary products, the family have also launched a fundraiser to help them cover the cost of the 2,500 mile round trip.

Rachel continued: "If there is any excess left over, this will be given directly to the Fire Station Team who are registered in Poland as a Humanitarian Organisation.

"The response from the local community in Musselburgh and further afield has been overwhelming. Our only concern is that we collect more than we can transport and would like to suggest that if people would like to donate, that they do so via the GoFundMe page over the next few days when it goes live.

"This will give us some element of control over the amount of products that we need to ship personally."

You can find a full list of all of the items looking to be donated here:

First Aid Kits

Dressings/Bandages

Paracetamol and Ibuprofen

Soap

Shower Gel

Shampoo

Toothpaste

Tooth Brushes

Nappies

Baby Wipes

Baby Cream

Baby Formula Milk

Woman’s Sanitary Products

Dried or preserved foods

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