12th October 2007

Everyone is safely back home today.
The advance convoy managed to catch the 11.30pm Calais/Dover ferry last night getting home before sunrise this morning. The later convoy took their time and caught the 11.35am ferry and got home late this afternoon. The HGV team arrived in at Dagenham early this morning but had to return the trucks to Hull Avington before making their way back home.

Trucks now need to be emptied, cleaned, CB radios removed and vehicles returned to the hire firms, Abacus, SHB and East Anglia Van Hire. The later convoy took their trucks through a truck wash off the M20!

The journey has been troubled by traffic problems and long hold-ups along the way. There were even delays on the M25 when Chas and Bev were trying to get home.
Another successful convoy which has given us all plenty to ponder on and in time to plan ahead for the next trip at Easter 2008. (Doreen)

11th October 2007

A convoy of eight travelled to just outside Brugge in Belgium before stopping for the night. However, four trucks: Busby, Frantic, Protractor and Old Gitts then went on deciding to catch the Thursday night ferry. The journey to Brugge was punctuated by many hold ups caused by roadworks and accidents. Robin Hood, Top Gear, Brother Bear and Hotdog decided to wait and get the ferry tomorrow. Doreen reports that all the crews are well and looking forward to getting home.

10th October 2007

Now at great truckstop near Wurzburg in Germany for over night stop. The HGV trucks will be saying their goodbyes to the rest of the convoy and leaving for their ferry port at Vlissingen early tomorrow. They plan to make the 1800 ferry on Thursday.
There was a hold up at the Austrian German Border due to police activity which caused long tailbacks.

9th October 2007

Had a good day travelling today. We are now at Hegyeshalom for the night, near the Hungarian / Austrian border just south of Bratislava. Some of the crew are staying in the hotel whilst others are sleeping in the trucks. Meeting up again tomorrow to continue the journey. Everyone is looking forward to getting home safely. A night for quiet reflection.

8th October 2007

We said our goodbyes to the flying team, the hotel and Selim the warehouse owner and set off at 12 midday. It was pouring with rain as the convoy left Kosovo at the Merdar border crossing into Serbia and we start our long drive back to the UK. The journey has been on schedule so far but slow at times due to roadworks. We are tired but keen to get home after what has been a successful trip. The stop for the night is still in Serbia near Novi Sad towards the Hungarian border.

7th October 2007

Our last day distributing aid started out as a rainy morning. Three trucks were allocated to go to Skenderaj and others to more remote areas where a pick up truck was required to get up unmade roads. Brother Bear came across some very distressing sights. They found a woman and five children living in a house with no doors or windows. The main room, 8ft x 10ft, in which they lived and slept, had a couple of couches. The kitchen area had no windows and a wood burning stove on which they cooked with the chimney leaning out the window space. The food cupboard had one small bag of flour. The family were filthy and the floor was decaying. The family's plight was dire! The exact location of the house was noted and passed on to the French KFOR with a request to inspect and report back.

Later that day, one of the pickups visited another house closer to Skenderaj. The initial idyllic scene turned out to be quite different in reality. The picturesque cottage with strings of chillies and onions drying outside the front door, had two rooms. The front door opened onto a room with a dirt floor and no windows. In the centre of the floor was a bowl of chicken feed, and in the corner there was a stove. The second room led off the first, an old lady was sat on the threshold. She moved when we entered and went to sit on her mattress, this was straw strewn across the floor, covered partially with a sheet. This was the only furniture in the house.

Most of the crew are feeling tired and emotional but some managed to go out for a meal in Mitrovice - not the Restaurant Krapi! The driving crew hope to start their journey home in the morning after one last delivery of aid, flying crews leave tomorrow afternoon, and the bus crew tomorrow evening. Our time in Kosovo seems to have gone very quickly and given us many thoughts and memories to take home.

Robin Hood again made some very worthy drops with the Irish KFOR at approximately 20 house / plastic tent dwellings. It was great to see some of the houses, which KFOR have funded, these are very basic but have solid brick walls and roofs.

Made a few drops in Racak and popped in to see Burim at Shtimle who was well. Aid was left with the Irish KFOR for distribution. The Marquee that we took out will re-house one family currently living under a plastic sheet approximately 6' x 4'. KFOR will erect it tomorrow.

6th October 2007

Today was so busy with a turmoil of visits and things to be tackled as a result of the visits.
We were designated to supply 24 minority Roma families but it turned out that they were Ashkaliaiving in a narrow group of streets just off the main road through Vushtrij south of Mitrovica. They had the misfortune to have been burnt out of their homes not only in the war in 1999 but again in the 3 day riots of 2004. The government had made an attempt to get them going again and they were incredibly resilient and calmly waited for the aid to be set out. The children were over the moon to receive just small footballs that cheer when you kick them.

In the last house a 17 year old boy with something akin to cerebral palsy was being cared for by various family members. At least the parents were there as well as brothers and sisters all no more than 12 years old. The boy had not seen a doctor for 12 years as they could not afford the necessary treatment. We visited French KFOR and the camp doctor promised to visit and give an initial diagnosis on Monday next. Those guys have been amazing doing everything possible to help us do our work, coming out in teams to hand out aid with us.
Our hotel staff have left their jobs to travel to Mitrovica to help us buy additional food at the best possible price, and did their best to find warehouse space for us.

One of our teams found a considerable group during their visits where small communities were reliant on heads of household under the age of 13 years, whose fathers had died or had been killed during the war. Makes you think . . The need here is as much as ever and our only concern is getting to help the most needy cases.

This evening Ljiljana and the folks from the Serbian enclave of Priluzje insisted on taking the South crew out for a meal in N Mitrovica. We went through the number plate changing routine where cars going from S to N have to change their plates from Kosovo plates to Serbian plates. The meal was very good and they expressed great gratitude for the medical supplies that we had brought. Other teams have been very busy and will hopefully find the time and energy to report in, but the work load has been taking its toll and everyone is very tired though otherwise fine.

Chas and Bev in Robin Hood made remote drops in the Skenderaj area. They had planned to deliver to 45 families but in the event were only able to reach 21. They found very needy cases in cut off rural areas. Luckily the rain didn't continue as even with the two 4 x 4 pickups they would have struggled to reach them.

The donated Saucony trainers went down a treat with a few of the mentally disturbed families that were found. A cooker was bought for one family and an additional box was put together for an elderly couple, which would be delivered to them later by the Mother Theresa Society.

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