Eight vehicles which have supported St John Ambulance Cymru’s lifesaving work in communities across Wales have been sent to Ukraine to provide emergency medical assistance on the front line.

The first aid charity for Wales’ retired ambulance vehicles were filled with donations of surplus or expired medical supplies and equipment from NHS Wales, Welsh Ambulances Services University NHS Trust, South Wales Police, Medserve Wales and the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS).

The project was in partnership with 100 Ambulances for Ukraine and SMART Medical Aid, a charitable foundation established with the sole aim to provide expert-level humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

St John Ambulance Cymru Chief Executive, Richard Lee MBE CStJ QAM FIMC FCPara, said:

The vehicles were collected from the charity’s Cardiff headquarters at the end of July, heading first to Dover before leaving the UK to continue their journey to Ukraine.

They will be replaced by seven newer more fuel-efficient vehicles, which will be used by St John People across Wales to support St John Ambulance Cymru’s work to provide first aid at community events and patient transport, while helping the charity to lower its carbon footprint and save on maintenance costs.