Yorkshire Aid Convoy by PURE

We do it because it makes a difference. All the difference.

WHY DO WE DO IT? Millions of families in Romania and the Ukraine live in severe poverty, battling daily against a lack of food, clothing, education and employment. With your help, we can make a positive change to this bleak existence and build a better future by collecting and distributing clothing, medical equipment and other essential supplies. We know our humanitarian aid from the heart of Yorkshire goes exactly where itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needed most because we deliver it personally. We do it because it makes a difference. All the difference.

We do it because it makes a diffe rence. All the difference.

THE CHARITY The founder of The Yorkshire Aid Convoy, Mark Murphy, has been involved and visiting Romania for over 20 years. He witnessed first hand the abject poverty that people were living in through many visits to towns, villages, orphanages, hospitals and refugee camps. An exploratory visit to the Ukraine in 1999 presented an even more dire set of circumstances. Determined to make some small difference to peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives, he and Simon Hartley founded The Yorkshire Aid Convoy in 2002 with the objective of collecting, transporting and distributing humanitarian aid to exactly where it is needed throughout Romania and The Ukraine. Despite entry into the EU, there is no welfare state or any government help for citizens in need and subsequently the poor are getting poorer. The work of The Yorkshire Aid Convoy is constant. Collecting much-needed basic essentials from kind donors and corporate sponsors who offer everything ranging from bicycles to soap powder throughout the year, packing the lorries for an annual distribution mission, plus (of course) the actual driving of some 4,000 km to deliver the goods. Ideally we would like to increase the frequency of our our distribution missions to twice yearly.

All this work is done by unpaid volunteers from all walks of life who take time out of their busy lives to help others. The Yorkshire Aid convoy liaises closely with local organisations and charities on the ground in Romania and The Ukraine to ensure it delivers the type of support and donations most appropriate, as well as identifying institutions such as childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hospitals or schools that are most in need of help and resources. In Romania, Caritas assist with the distribution of aid, and in The Ukraine links with Caritas and the Rotarians guarantee that donations reach their destination safely. This level of local knowledge and on-going visits means the Yorkshire Aid Convoy delivers what is needed, to where it is needed. We send people aid that they actually need, rather than the aid we think they need. Many organisations in Romania and The Ukraine have come to rely solely on The Yorkshire Aid Convoy to make sure they can continue to provide basic healthcare and education services to their communities.

We need your help to continue to help children like these

HOW DO WE HELP? The Yorkshire Aid convoy supplies essential equipment and resources to many different organisations and communities in Romania and The Ukraine, including: • • • • •

Schools Care Homes for the Elderly Kindergartens Business Start Up Projects The Homeless

• • • •

Hospitals Disabled Centres Medical Centres The Poor

The type of goods that we collect, transport and distribute include: Clothing & Shoes Medical supplies and equipment Educational Resources Basic essentials eg soap powder, paint and building materials Sanitation and hygiene equipment eg washing machines Vehicles eg buses and minibuses. These vehicles would otherwise be ‘scrapped’ in the UK due to their age/mileage but still have plenty of life left in them Bicycles that have been seized by West Yorkshire Police as stolen goods and remain unclaimed – these bikes are then refurbished by inmates at Everthorpe Prison before being donated to The Yorkshire Aid Convoy

In addition to supplying essential consumables, the Charity also endeavours to empower people in Romania and The Ukraine to become self-sufficient. We have often paid for livestock, machinery and transport to enable people to set up and grow their own businesses including a bakery and a chicken farm.

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GET INVOLVED! The Yorkshire Aid Convoy relies solely on volunteers to carry out our work. There are many ways in which you can help us including: Donating Goods

Raising Funds

Perhaps you know or own a business that manufactures the type of goods so urgently required in Romania and The Ukraine that would be willing to donate items for our aid missions? Or maybe you have clothing and shoes at home that you would like to see going to good use?

Financial contributions to help us support and further our work are always most gratefully received. Even though all the goods we take have been generously donated, each mission costs many thousands of pounds in truck rental and fuel, with all our drivers paying their accommodation and food costs out of their own pocket. With more money, we can visit these countries more often, deliver more aid, and make more of a difference.

Even businesses that are upgrading their facilities might have perfectly serviceable equipment that they no longer need that would be gratefully received in Romania or The Ukraine. A recent example of this was when the Spire Hospital in Leeds upgraded their operating theatres, donating their ‘old’ equipment to make a world of difference to the extremely basic facilities in a Romanian hospital. If you have anything, however big or however small, that you would like to go to a good home, please contact us today to discuss how we can get it to somebody that really needs it.

If you would like to make a financial donation, or organise a fundraising event to support The Yorkshire Aid Convoy, please get in touch. Remember that when you give to The Yorkshire Aid Convoy, every penny goes directly to where it is needed - there are no overheads or staffing costs thanks to our volunteers.

An example of one of our kind sponsors: Mr and Mrs M Gunter from Harrogate have donated to Yorkshire Aid Convoy over the last few years. They’re donations have covered the cost of the fuel for the last two trips and they have already pledged again to pay for the fuel for our trip to The Ukraine in 2011.

Every penny goes directly to where it is needed

If you have anything, however big or however small, that you would like to go to a good home, please contact us today to discuss how we can get it to somebody that really needs it.

GET INVOLVED! Giving Your Time We are always looking for drivers willing to undertake the mammoth road trip to Romania or The Ukraine. Driving a truck in our convoy is a real challenge, and a real experience. The chance to see first hand the suffering in Romania and The Ukraine is tough, but the feeling of doing something that really helps everyday people to have a better quality of life is amazing. Being part of The Yorkshire Aid Convoy is something to be proud of and many of our volunteer drivers return to drive for us year after year. We also need help with collecting goods, bringing them to the central storage point and packing the lorries prior to departure. What our volunteers say about being a part of The Yorkshire Aid Convoy:

“A friend and neighbour had been involved with The Yorkshire Aid Convoy for a couple of years, and asked me if I might be interested in driving a truck in the upcoming mission to Romania. With some trepidation, I agreed, and I can honestly say it was one of the most rewarding 8 days of my life. To leave Leeds in a five-truck convoy filled with such a wide variety of things, driving through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary and finally arriving in Romania to deliver all the items to people who really need them was an amazing journey. For me, seeing the children left by their parents at the hospital was heartbreaking – many parents will never return to collect them. In contrast, the gypsy camp was squalid, but full of joy and excitement at our arrival. This insight into everyday poverty in Romania gave me a new perspective on my own life, and has made me determined to continue to support the Charity in any way possible.” Gary Dooley - Director PURE Creative Marketing, Leeds (www.puredesign.net)

Being part of The Yorkshire Aid Co nvoy is something to be proud of and many of our voluntee r drivers return to drive for us year after year.

DONATE NOW e Send a cheque or postal order mad to: voy Con Aid shire York out to Yorkshire Aid Convoy, Yorkshire s, House, Grape Street, Hunslet, Leed land Eng 1BX 0 LS1 , shire West York d Don’t forget to include a complete Form Aid Gift voy Con Yorkshire Aid tax (opposite) if you are a UK income 28p im recla to payer. This will allow us ate. don for every £ you

DO NAT E

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Thank you for your donation, every penny can really make a difference to peoples lives. Together we CAN make a difference… PERSONAL INFORMATION Title

Forename

Surname

Address

Postcode

I enclose a donation of:

If you pay UK income tax or capital gains tax and would like Yorkshire Aid Convoy to reclaim the tax you have already paid, please sign and date the form. This will enable us to claim back 28p for every £1 donated through Gift Aid. I would like Yorkshire Aid Convoy to treat this donation and any I make in the future as Gift Aid.

Signed

Date

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO: Please make cheques payable to Yorkshire Aid Convoy. Yorkshire Aid Convoy, Yorkshire House, Grape Street, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1BX England Telephone: 0113 244 9244

NOTES: 1) You must pay an amount of income tax and/or Capital Gains tax at least equal to the tax that the charity reclaims on your donations in the tax year (currently 28p in each £1 you give). 2) You can cancel the Declaration at any time by notifying the Charity. 3) If in the future your circumstances change and you no longer pay tax on your income and Capital Gains equal to the tax that the Charity reclaims, you can cancel your Declaration (see Note 1). 4) If you pay tax at the higher rate you can claim further tax relief in your Self Assessment Tax Return. 5) If you are unsure whether your donations qualify for Gift Aid tax relief, ask the Charity, or ask your local Tax Office for leaflet IR65. 6) Please notify the Charity if you change your name or address.

Yorkshire Aid Convoy is a Registered Charity No: 1092813. Registered Office: Yorkshire Aid Convoy, Yorkshire House, Grape Street, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS10 1BX England. Email: info@yorkshireaidconvoy.co.uk Telephone: 0113 244 9244

OUR SPONSORS ICI Dulux Crown Paints Lemar Fashions Wetheralds Painters & Decorators Ltd Commer Group Tadcaster Pub Company Cohen & Wilks International Romero Insurance Brokers Ltd GNG Group Grahams Plumbers Merchants M.G. Smith Vehicle Repairs Drammock International Trulife Everthorpe Prison Live Nation Festival Republic Barnes Catering Bravado Portable Toilets Ltd Firebrand Live Ltd

Pure Creative Marketing Ltd BRS Truck Rental Scope - Crossgreen Seacroft Hospital St James Hospital Leeds General Infirmary Spire Hospital Bradford Royal Infirmary Bolton General Infirmary Yorkshire Clinic Chapellallerton Hospital Toiletries Sales Ltd West Yorkshire Trading Standards A G Beverley & Son Jurys Inn Queensway Primary School - Yeadon John Cotton Middlesborough Police Station W G Search Ltd A1 Mobile

Yorkshire Aid Convoy Yorkshire House Grape Street Hunslet Leeds West Yorkshire LS10 1BX England Telephone: 0113 244 9244 info@yorkshireaidconvoy.co.uk www.yorkshireaidconvoy.co.uk