A Dundee woman says she has quit her job at a Dundee Lidl to join the humanitarian effort in Ukraine.
Brogan Reilly has already spent two weeks in Poland delivering aid and transporting families from the Ukrainian city of Lviv over the border to safety.
The 25-year-old says she was so moved by the desperate plight of women and children there that she now plans to return.
She has left her job at the city centre Lidl store and plans to live off savings to stay on the continent as much as she can.
‘Like a modern-day Dunkirk’
Brogan, from Stobswell, told The Courier: “Now I’ve returned back to my normal life in Dundee I have a feeling of helplessness and a detachment from the aid efforts going on.
“That’s why I’ve quit my job at the supermarket where I’ve worked for the last four years.
“I’m desperate to get back out there so I can offer more immediate help on the ground in Poland and in Ukraine itself.
“It’s very important to stress that the people out there, who are working tirelessly and getting stuck in, are average people: painters and decorators, retail workers, bar workers.
“The situation is like a modern-day Dunkirk.
“The sheer amount of people fleeing for their lives is overwhelming.”
Last month, Brogan and friend Jacob Wright drove a Transit van full of £6,000 worth of aid donations across Europe for four days, covering about 1,750 miles.
Their destination was the major aid distribution centre at Lubycza Królewska, situated close to the town of Hrebenne, on the border between Poland and Ukraine.
Brogan spent four days organising donations and unloading and loading supplies.
But she admits she was unprepared for the scenes when she arrived at the centre – saying the volume of refugees was “heart-breaking and overwhelming”.
“When we got to the centre after a 1,750-mile journey, we broke down at the sight of all these people,” said Brogan.
“There were hundreds of people and families crammed on sun lounger beds in a high school sports hall.
“It was just heart-breaking to witness so many displaced families.
“What struck me most was the definite air of sadness that was all around us.
“People were absolutely shattered following their escape – and many were also distraught at having had to leave family members behind to fight the Russian invasion.”
Millions displaced by Russia’s war
The United Nations estimates that more than 10 million people have now been displaced since Russia went to war with Ukraine.
Latest figures suggest about 4.3m have fled to other countries while an estimated 6.5m are still in the country.
The war has triggered a wave of charitable campaigns and aid convoys.
Among them was Fife Provost and former Dunfermline Athletic manager Jim Leishman, who joined a convoy of vehicles which left Fife carrying aid.
