Manchester man heads to Ukraine to deliver bomb disposal kits for explosives left by Russians
Report by ITV Granada Reports journalist Lucille Brobbey
A former solider from Manchester is heading to Ukraine to deliver bomb disposal kits to defuse explosives left by Russian troops.
Craig Monaghan, who served in Afghanistan, runs the Spearhead Foundation and is also delivering trauma kits and medical supplies.
So far the Manchester-based charity has spent more than 20 days in Ukraine since the war began, providing medical aid.
According to the British Embassy, the charity were the first British aid foundation to cross the border into Ukraine on 3 March, after realising a lot of the aid was not making it into Ukraine.
Craig says: "We raised a lot of money and we knew our capabilities and our personal experience, everyone that went had been a war fighter.
"We knew we could probably get it to the actual people.
"Whilst looking at the border checkpoint and seeing the chaos in front of us was let’s just go and deliver this.
"We already had links in Ukraine on the frontline and we just went and connected directly with them."
So far, the team have delivered nearly five tonnes of medical kits to aid posts and nearly 240 people have been given treatment using their aid kit.
The team are now preparing for another trip, delivering bomb disposal kits.
The kits will help to clear Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) left behind in Kyiv allegedly by Russian soldiers.
"Kids are going in rooms and picking up toys and it’s setting off IEDs," Craig adds. "This is out there and this is very real.
"Being a father myself, the sacrifice for me is nothing in terms of being able to prevent someone losing their child."
Another North-West based charity EastLancs4Ukraine are currently in Ukraine. They are getting armoured ambulances into some of the worst hit cities.
One of the volunteers, Harley Whitehead, says he has witnessed horrific scenes.
He said: "It’s like an apocalypse. It was like the world has ended. It’s really bad."
After hearing about what has been happening in Ukraine, Children in Rochdale have written thousands of letters to refugee children in Lviv, a city they are twinned with.
Pupil’s at St Luke’s Primary School shared with ITV News why they wrote their letters:
"There’s no need for Russia to be doing this to them. And I just want them to know that we’re always thinking about them and that there is a rainbow at the end of this storm."