Two American students to join Banbury area charity on 1,300-mile Ukraine vehicle delivery mission

Brody Wilkes and his best friend Quentin Corbel, both from Los Angeles, along with their friend Flavio Villamore, will join Driving Ukraine on the charity's latest aid mission at the end of July.

The trio, who are all studying postgraduate courses at St Andrews University in Scotland, will help deliver vehicles from Oxford to Lviv in western Ukraine – a journey of around 1,300 miles.

Once in Lviv, the vehicles will be handed over to Driving Ukraine's workshop, where they will be adapted for frontline use before being taken further into the country by medics to evacuate wounded civilians and soldiers.

The volunteers have also been invited to Lviv Town Hall, where they will be thanked by representatives of the city's mayor for their contribution.

Since March 2022, Driving Ukraine has delivered almost 400 vehicles to Ukraine across 61 convoys and has raised more than £2.8 million to support frontline medical evacuation efforts.

Founded by Deddington man Fynn Watt, Driving Ukraine has become one of the UK's best-known volunteer organisations delivering vehicles to support Ukraine's humanitarian response.

Fynn said: “Since the beginning of the war, Driving Ukraine has been about action, not standing by and watching. Brody and his friends have taken on this amazing journey with us and this vehicle. The trio's fundraising represents our mission, turning generosity and courage into life-saving action.

“Maybe we can't change the course of the war, but we can change the course of an evacuation, and that's a life saved.”