Such incredibly coordinated work! Many people are involved. We all felt safe. Such great love and attention from you. We hug you tightly! We wish only the best!!! You are doing so much good! May goodness return to you with greater force!
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How It Started
In March 2022, days after Russia’s full-scale invasion, a small group of friends in Cumbria decided to act. They borrowed two trucks, filled them with aid donations, and drove to the Polish-Ukrainian border. What followed – hundreds of volunteer drivers, thousands of miles, refugee and aid convoys running weekly – grew far beyond its beginnings into a nationally supported operation.
People Helping People
As news spread, volunteers joined from across the UK – from Oxford, London, and beyond. Schools, businesses, and individuals donated minibuses. Drivers shared knowledge of routes, paperwork, and logistics. A team formed around two co-founders: Nigel Harling in Cumbria and Troels Henriksen in Oxford, who formally registered Eden Aid as a charity and gave the operation a structure it could grow within. At its peak, aid convoys were departing for the Ukrainian border on a weekly basis, each carrying pallets of medical supplies, hygiene products, and food – and returning with Ukrainian families in need of safety.
Eden Aid Trips
What we achieved together
1
Ukrainians helped to start new lives!
1
worth of medical supplies and food delivered across 33 trips
1
miles driven by 137 drivers in 129 minibuses
On every return journey, the convoys brought back not only people, but the animals their families refused to leave behind. All were placed with welcoming host families in the UK. Among the passengers: 98 dogs, 78 cats, 2 hamsters, 2 rats, 2 guinea pigs, and one agama. Each family’s story was different. Each journey meant something. The volunteers who made it possible received messages for months afterwards – from Camborne, from Edinburgh, from quiet English villages – from Ukrainians who had found safety.
In their own words…
I want to thank you so much for the trip 
that was incredible)))
thank you everyone)))
thank you for life!!!
I arrived at my destination perfectly, I can only dream of such a trip)))
glad to meet the neighbors))) had a good talk, got to know each other)))
thank you for nursing and “tolerating” my cat, traveling with an animal is always difficult, I’m grateful for your understanding)))
Hugs and kisses to all!!!
Marina????
Thank you to everyone who helped our daughter in organizing our move. At our age, we have never been abroad and we can’t even imagine how without knowledge of foreign languages, without your help, we could have made such a difficult journey from Kherson to Great Britain and also with our beloved cats. During this time, we met so many kind and sensitive people, regardless of country and nationality, and now we are sure that with such friends, Ukraine will definitely win. 
Valentina????
Thank you
None of this would have been possible without an extraordinary web of support. Businesses and farms in Cumbria who donated supplies and vehicles. Schools across England – from Cheltenham to Weybridge, from Oxford to Sussex – who lent their minibuses. Individuals who drove through the night, crossed borders, and came back changed.
A full list of those who contributed is preserved on this page as a record of collective generosity. We are grateful to every single one:
Pallister & Co • Sted at Bampton Bridge Garage • Eden Hall Estates • Saddlebacks Cafe, Langwathby • Western Construction • Deer and Dexter • Frame Swift Vets • Askham Hall, Askham • Birbeck Medical Practice • Richard Swale • Shap Medical Practice • The Midland Hotel, Lazonby • Paragon Vets • Judith Wilson • Lloyds Land Rover • Janet LW Cafe • Cumberland and Westmorland Herald • Charlie Morison, Campbell Bell Communications • Cain Vets • Dr Theo Weston • Old Hall Vets • Charles & Juno Lowther • Enterprise Rentals • Andy & Natali Barr, Barrnon • WCF • James Bullimore, Smart Show Homes Ltd. • A.W. Jenkinson Forest Products • Dfds • Rubikus • Mikk Mets from Bussibus in Tartu, Estonia • Dan and his team at Kennington Motors in Oxford (01865 739064) • David Cavaghan • Barnard Castle School • Richard Payne for 4 vans and medical hardware • Longmynd Travel • Chris for the B Bus • New Forrest for Ukraine and John Stanton • Dodd and Co. from Penrith • Beech Lodge • Hurstpierpoint College • St George’s Weybridge • Headington School • Radley College • Abingdon School • St Helen’s and St Katherine’s • Beech Lodge • Hurst college • Cheltenham Ladies College • Lady Eleanor Holles • St George’s Weybridge • St. Mary’s Calne • Stowe • Mr & Mrs Don Prince and Sandra • All the helpers at Bampton Village Hall • S&P Coulthard Care Home
What comes next
Our first chapter was about helping Ukrainians reach safety. Our second is about those who made that possible – the veterans who fought to defend Ukraine, and who now need to find their way back to themselves.
In 2026, Eden Aid became the governing charity for Hopeful Future: a peer-led support programme for Ukrainian combat veterans, operating across Ukraine.
We are, again, people helping people, as we have always done. The mission is continuous. The people are the same. The need is just as urgent.