Touchline to Front line

Seagulls Super fan delivers aid to Ukraine

When Brighton and Hove Albion super fan Paul Samrah semi-retired earlier this year he was not expecting to swop the touchline for a frontline. But that is exactly what the 65-year-old former accountant is doing as he joins a team taking a fleet of ambulances to the Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Paul has joined forces with the organisation Medical Lifelines Ukraine (MLLU) to raise the funds to buy, renovate and stock the ambulance with medical and practical aid, including dressings, defibrillators, and other medical supplies.

Paul and his co-driver Douglas Elliott will make the 1,300 mile journey from the UK to Ukraine via France, Germany, and Poland. The gruelling trip is expected to take 4 days.

“The situation In Ukraine is becoming more perilous by the day” said Paul “The city of Lviv is now a frequent target of Russian drones, and the supplies we are delivering are desperately needed. Through this initiative, we can provide practical and essential assistance to the people pf Ukraine. Every penny raised goes towards the ambulance, stocking it and getting it to the Ministry of Health. So far, we have raised just over £30k but we still need more”.  

The team are appealing for more money to buy vital, lifesaving supplies. £50 buys 10 special bandages used to apply pressure to staunch severe blood loss; £250 will fund 1 ambulance based suction unit to clear airways and save lives; and £500 buys 400 endotracheal tubes for Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital which was recently attacked.

Paul is well known for his part in saving Brighton and Hove Albion FC when he spotted irregularities in the club’s accounts – the Seagulls were saved, but their home at the Goldstone Ground was sold off. The lifelong fan then spearheaded a campaign to build a new home at the Amex stadium – where, as a season ticket holder he is a regular in the stands.   

“I love a challenge and now that I am mostly retired, I can devote my time to the causes that matter to me, he says. Driving an ambulance through Europe will be challenging. I am apprehensive about what we will find when we reach Lviv, but I know our efforts and the generosity of our supporters will be greatly appreciated.”

So far, MLLU has delivered 52 ambulances to locations and hospitals throughout the country including the capital Kyiv and Kharkiv. Once the ambulance is delivered, Paul and his co-driver will make their own way back to the UK. That part of the journey is yet unplanned and uncertain but he is confident that with luck and the support of others they will return safely.

Paul and the convoy are set to leave for Ukraine on 22 September, in the meantime the team is appealing for more donations to buy extra medical supplies. There is a Just Giving page set up by Paul’s firm Moore Kingston Smith for anyone who would like to support the venture. www.justgiving.com/page/mkscf-london-to-lviv