02/10/03
Gist drivers deliver aid to Ukraine orphans
Four lorry drivers will set off from the Gist foods distribution centre in Hemel Hempstead this week (Thursday 2nd October) on their third mission to Ukraine, as they deliver much-needed help aid to orphans in the region around Chernobyl.
Michael Drake, Matthew Jones, John Bushby and Graham Wardley – drivers from Gist’s Hemel and Crewe depots - set off this Thursday to deliver supplies of clothes, toys, sports goods, shoes and disability equipment to the children.
The round trip will take 12 days, and the team will cover approximately 3000 miles. To cover this vast distance as fast as possible the vehicles will be double manned, travelling for around 22 hours at a time. Gist, a nationwide logistics specialist, provides the team with a lorry for the trip, and the means to fund the vehicle.
This charitable assistance is of course greatly needed by the people of Chernobyl and the surrounding area, with the region still suffering under the legacy left by the disastrous accident at the nuclear power plant in 1986.
Michael Drake, who first dreamed up the initiative, said: “The experience of our first trip to the Ukraine, seeing the orphanages and experiencing the hospitality of these very gracious and generous people left us in no doubt at to the work we needed to do.
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“We hope that with each trip we are able to take more vehicles and even more supplies, generously donated by local people. It makes such an incredible difference to the children of the Ukraine.”
A number of the company’s drivers and families have become so involved in the initiative they have set up their own charity - S.O.U.L. UK (Supporting Orphans in the Ukraine to Live) - and take it in turns to collect and distribute aid to the Ukraine on an annual basis. They have even rented a warehouse in Chernihiv, 25 miles from Chernobyl, from which they can control the despatch of aid.
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***********PHOTO OPPORTUNITY***********
If you are interested in visiting the Hemel site for photographs of the team and trucks please contact Felicity Robertson on 01442 241411. Please note that the entourage will be leaving in the early hours of the morning on Thursday 2nd so you may want to visit the site instead on Wednesday 1st October.
Notes to Editors:
Gist combines leading edge experience and expertise to transform supply chains through intelligent application of innovative leading edge technology, unique solutions tailored to customers’ strategies, managing change and embracing and enhancing the supply chain proposition. With industry specific experience, expertise and excellence, Gist’s solutions bring end-to-end visibility and implementation, from concept to delivery.
Gist, based in the United Kingdom, has its head office at Basingstoke in Hampshire. However, Gist’s 4,500 employees operate out of 28 locations, providing a full range of intellectual and asset-based business offering in the UK, continental Europe, Asia, Australasia and North America.
Gist’s customers (including Ocado, Marks & Spencer, British Airways, Carlsberg UK and Budgens) operate in a wide range of commercial and industrial sectors, including grocery, electronics, apparel and gas.
As part of the BOC Group, which serves two million customers in more than 50 countries, Gist also benefits from BOC’s global capability, synergy and scale.
To find out more about Gist, for photography or to arrange an interview with the Gist team please contact the Gist press office:
Tel: 01256 891111
Fax: 01256 891122
Email: Michele.mervin@gistworld.com
