Mark Scorer is aiming to reach his fundraising target before departure
September 23, 2025
Chiswick resident Mark Scorer is to join a convoy of ambulances travelling from the UK to Ukraine delivering medical supplies to support civilians and frontline responders ahead of what is expected to be a challenging winter.
62-year-old, Mark is semi retired, with two grown up kids and has lived in Grove Park for the last 22 years.
Departing on 9 November, he is volunteering with Medical Life Lines Ukraine (MLLU), a grassroots organisation formed in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Since its founding, MLLU has delivered more than 100 reconditioned ambulances and emergency vehicles to hospitals and civil defence teams across Ukraine.
Each vehicle is purchased second-hand—often from NHS fleets—and refurbished before being packed with medical equipment, dressings, defibrillators, and other supplies identified by Ukrainian partners. The convoy will travel overland through France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland before reaching Lviv, where the vehicles and contents will be handed over to local distribution teams.
Mark, who has raised over three-quarters of his £7,000 fundraising target, said he was inspired to take part after hearing about the experience of a friend who joined an earlier convoy. “I’ve long been frustrated at not being able to do something to help the people of Ukraine,” he said. “This was an ideal opportunity.”
He recently completed a test drive of one of the ambulances under the guidance of MLLU volunteers. “Some of these vehicles have done over 200,000 miles,” he noted, “but they’re still roadworthy and can make a real difference.”
MLLU began with a single ambulance purchased and stocked by a London resident in February 2022 soon after Putin’s attempt to subjugate the whole of Ukraine. Within days, the initiative had grown into a community-wide effort, collecting donations and dispatching aid to the Ukrainian border. The group now runs convoys several times a year, each consisting of five to six vehicles driven by volunteers who also serve as fundraisers.
The upcoming convoy will be the fourteenth organised by MLLU. Previous deliveries have supported hospitals in Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, and Chernihiv, as well as emergency services in Dnipro and rehabilitation centres in the Kriviy Rih region.
With Russia continuing to target energy infrastructure and medical facilities, organisers say the need for aid remains urgent. “This winter will be harsh,” reads a statement from the charity, “and our convoys are a way of showing that people across Europe still stand with Ukraine.”
Mark’s fundraising page is available at JustGiving, and donations will go directly toward the cost of the ambulance and its contents.
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