Highland Mechanic Reflects on their Trip to Deliver "Nessie the Nissan" to the Front lines of Ukraine
From Inverness to the front line of Ukraine, "Nessie the Nissan", a well-worn X-Trail has completed a 2800 mile journey.
Behind the wheel was local mechanic Danny Ward, who gave up his annual leave, loaded Nessie with humanitarian aid and drove across Europe to deliver support to Kramatorsk. Packed with Highland kindness - from food to a bottle of single malt - this mission proves what many here already know: when the Highlands rally, the impact can reach far beyond our glens.
"They (Aid Ukraine) said they need a four-wheel drive, ideally a Nissan X-Trail, mainly because the people out there are used to them: driving them, working on them, (they) probably have spare parts for them; they're cheaper parts and are reliable vehicles.
The shocking thing is, the budget comes out of the soldiers' wages. They do a whip-round to buy vehicles that they're losing."
The stories we discuss on this episode:
"I'd be proud if I were Ukrainian. You can't always say that for being British, but I would certainly be proud if I were Ukrainian"
Danny's story takes us through the journey from meeting bomb makers to experiencing drone attacks. A crowd funding page has been set up to buy a truck which Danny will be behind the wheel of, heading to Kramatorsk once more.
