Thousands of sandbags have been sent to Ukraine after Kyiv called on its twin city Edinburgh for help protecting statues and monuments.
Following the appeal to the office of Lord Provost Frank Ross, over 3,000 bags have been hauled to Edinburgh Airport to board a flight to Krakow. After travelling as the ‘personal luggage allowance’ of an easyJet Captain, they are now on their way to Kyiv by train.
Generously donated to Edinburgh by Falkirk Council and coordinated with staffing support from NatWest, the sandbags will be used by officials in Kyiv to erect sand barricades to preserve important historical monuments, memorials, and statues for future generations.
Thanks to the rapid response, close working between 11 organisations* - and a large amount of imagination - the assistance has been delivered less than two weeks after the request came in.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross said:
“I’m delighted we were able to answer our twin city Kyiv’s call for help so quickly and that the sandbags will soon be put to good use protecting their treasured monuments and, with that, their history. The coordination and delivery involved in turning this around has required a real ‘can do’ attitude and a true team effort between all of the organisations involved. They each deserve great credit for their ingenuity and input.
“This is typical of the response since the invasion began a month ago, which has seen a characteristically caring and generous response from the people and organisations from across Edinburgh, with many coming forward with offers of help and donations. As people flee the war and choose to seek refuge here, our teams will continue to work around the clock to welcome families with open arms and make sure they receive the safety and support they need.”
Milly Batchelor from the Youth Banking Customer Journey Team, NatWest Group, said:
“At NatWest Group, our thoughts are with the people and families whose lives have been affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We were delighted our employee volunteers were able to support this initiative.”
Dorothy Reid, Roads and Grounds Manager for Falkirk Council, said:
“It was a very straight forward request that we knew could help the aid operation in Ukraine. There’s already a massive humanitarian effort going on however, this seemed something that was a bit different, and we were really happy to offer a hand with. We hope that some of the city’s historic landmarks can be protected with the sandbags and our small donation helps Kyiv and its citizens maintain its cultural identity.”
Earlier this month, the Mayor of Kyiv and the President of Ukraine were jointly chosen by the Council to receive the Freedom of Edinburgh, as part of the city’s response to the crisis.
For more information on the Council’s support for Ukraine, visit edinburgh.gov.uk/ukraine.
*Special thanks to:
- Natwest Skillsbank for voluntary management of logistics
- Easyjet ground support staff, pilot, and crew
- Edinburgh Airport
- Krakow Airport
- Falkirk Council for donation and transport of sandbags
- Forth Ports for offer of additional sandbags
- Jabil supply chain solutions’ service director
- Krakow Rail for onward transport to Kyiv
- Municipality of Krakow’s international relations officers
- City of Kyiv’s Mayor’s office
- City of Edinburgh Council’s Lord Provost’s office, resilience, and international relations officers.