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NewsScots hero dad providing aid to Ukraine set to meet heiress donors...

Scots hero dad providing aid to Ukraine set to meet heiress donors in USA

A SCOTS hero dad who has been providing aid to war-torn Ukraine is set to jet out to the USA to meet two of the heiress donors supporting his efforts.

Dominic Harris began aiding the war effort with the creation of Jeeps for Peace in February 2022 when the war began – and has been continually transporting aid to help the Ukrainian people survive.

The 56-year-old made his latest out to Ukraine last month delivering a batch of Mitsubishi Warrior pick-up trucks, which are used to ferry the wounded to safety and deliver food to cut-off areas.

Dominic Harris
Dominic Harris has been providing aid for over a year. Credit: Dominic Harris

Now, Dominic from Marchmont, Edinburgh has laid out plans to meet with his main donors – two anonymous women in Idaho, USA – to deliver messages of thanks from the Ukrainian people.

The vehicles delivered by Dominic have been dubbed the “rockstars of the eastern front” by Ukranian media following appearances on state television.

The dad-of-two delivered the latest batch after three days of continuous driving from Edinburgh, taking the total vehicles donated to over 30.

The convoy included large quantities of Nairn’s porridge and oatcakes to help feed the soldiers on the front line as well as the women and children left in towns and cities.

Drawings and footballs donated by Sciennes Primary School were also included in the care package, which led to Dominic and his associates organising a kick-about with local Ukrainian children.

The pick-ups, which cost around £3,000, each are partly funded by the two philanthropic heiresses in the USA.

He is due to touch down in the States next month to meet the sisters who have donated over £45,000 so far to aid Jeeps for Peace’s cause.

There, he will deliver letters of thanks and commemorative plaques from various mayors of Ukrainian towns and cities.

The cars in transit
The cars in transit to Ukraine. Credit: Dominic Harris

Trips to a war-torn country are a world away from Dominic’s day job as an international travel director and lead singer of the band Dominic Waxing Lyrical.

Speaking today, Dominic said: “We are heading to visit with the donors, we just want them to know we are thankful.

“We are going to hand them various letters of thanks from Ukrainian mayors and people.

“I think they [the heiresses] are arranging for us to speak to sympathetic people and we will visit various churches and talk to people.

“The trip to Ukraine was exhausting just making sure that everything went off and people were fed and watered.

“It is the little things that make core memories though like the primary school pictures and the footballs.

“On paper you think it’s nothing and it won’t win the war but it is long term solidarity.

“We arranged a football match with a group of children from an estate and it is transformative, just for that time they can forget about the war and be children.”

If you would like to donate to Jeeps for Peace you can do so here: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jeepsforpeace

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