An Edinburgh mum will be heading abroad for the first time in her life as she prepares to drive to Ukraine with a host of supplies for some of the country's 'forgotten' villages.
Chris Murphy, 49, told Edinburgh Live she will be taking turns driving alongside volunteer Oleg Dmitriev as the pair head across Europe to deliver a selection of 'baby backpacks' to a maternity unit in Kharkiv .
Working with Scottish charity Sunflower Scotland, the group have created a series of 40 specially prepared backpacks, filled with brand new baby supplies.
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With many new mothers stuck in the remote villages, that are often subject to shelling, Chris explained that the bags will give essential supplies as well as "something special" to the new parents in need.
Leaving on Saturday morning to make the huge journey, the mum-of-five said: "It will take us four days to drive from Edinburgh, we've only got a small Mercedes people carrier so we've crammed it full as much as we can with everything.
"I had initially got involved with Sunflower Scotland because when everything first began in Ukraine a soldier had put a Facebook status up asking for combat boots and they offered to take the parcel out for me, then I was helping with lorry supplies but they were starting to cost around five grand so they decided to start doing things differently.
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"These mothers are living in basements or have nowhere to stay and you've got young mums having their babies and I thought they can't be coming out carrying great big baby boxes.
"So I thought why not do a backpack, it can be reused as a changing bag or put clothes in if they need to get out of somewhere quickly. They're going to the maternity hospitals in girls and boys bags and all the items are new."
Speaking to a number of nurses and volunteers at the maternity hospital for nearly a year, Chris said she is looking forward to meeting the people she has become friends with and "put a face to the messages."
With each bag stocked with supplies from nappies to baby grows, an outfit and many other bits and pieces, every kit that has been fundraised and created will go directly to the new mothers from the van.
Chris added: "It's just the basics but they're new and just that little bit more special. There are people in these cut off areas where we're going that feel like they've been forgotten because the Red Cross isn't going out there because they are still being shelled.
"These mums are leaving a hospital with a brand new person, it's hard enough normally to come back home after a baby and get back to the washing and the cleaning, let alone on top of being in a war zone, so it's something to try and make them feel less forgotten."
Currently still running a fundraiser to continue their supplies, you can donate to the campaign here.
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