As the war in Ukraine continues to rage on, the demand for supplies remains high. One of our brokers recognised and decided to take affirmative action to help.
Our product: Specialist Commercial Vehicle
Our broker: The County Group
Assisting Those in Need
One of our insurance brokers, with whom we work closely, has recently been working diligently to raise funds for Ukraine; indeed, this issue was The County Group's Charity of the Year. Ambulances are in high demand in the country, as many have been damaged due to the ongoing war. When Ukrainian soldiers are wounded, they are transported by 4x4 vehicles to the ambulances, which then take them to local medical centres for treatment. County chose to support this project which was started by Paul Williams, the husband of Paula Williams at County.
Over the past year, The County Group has engaged in various fundraising activities, including sponsored car washes; quizzes; the Great Orme walk; a charity football match; raffles; a BIBA dinner in Manchester where attendees had to guess the length of speeches. The charity donations were raised in conjunction with British Ukrainian Aid to purchase and transport three ambulances for use in the war effort.
They had raised an impressive £33,000 in total, with County contributing around £15,000 towards this amount via their various activities. These ambulances include two Mercedes (formerly NHS ambulances) and a Peugeot (formerly a St. John’s Ambulance).
All three vehicles were proudly insured by ERS and serviced by one of County’s long standing clients, a local Ford dealership, indicating strong support from the local community. The ambulances were also generously stocked with medical supplies from Advanced Medical Solutions, along with walking frames, a generator, soft toys and clothing donated, all of which was supplied by local firms and individuals in the Cheshire area.
The ambulances were covered under our Specialist Commercial Vehicle insurance product. We have created insurance that has been designed to fit the bespoke and flexible needs of commercially modified vehicles.
The Journey to Ukraine
A team of six embarked on their journey to Ukraine on October 1st. This included Paula (Regional Managing Director), her husband Paul and the Manager of County's Burnley Branch – Sagar Insurances.
Day 1: Sunday, October 1st
The team began their journey from Kelsall in Cheshire, passing through London and heading towards Kent. County Group noticed that "it's not often, I guess, that three ambulances travel 'in convoy' on the motorway, so we did get noticed and even received the occasional perplexed look from people in other vehicles!" The group gathered in Folkestone, where they crossed the Channel and then proceeded to Brussels via Dunkirk, resting in the town of Leuven.
Day 2: Monday, October 2nd
The team continued their journey through Brussels, heading east toward Maastricht, Cologne and Frankfurt. They made excellent progress along the A4 motorway, enjoying the rolling countryside, and paused in Gera, a town on the eastern side of Germany, situated 30 miles south of Leipzig.
Day 3: Tuesday, October 3rd
The County Group team resumed their journey by returning to the A4, heading towards Dresden and then just north of the Czech border, through the German countryside. They crossed into Poland in the morning, continuing on to Wrocław. The team concluded the day in Bochnia, just east of Krakow, having covered an impressive 430 miles.
Day 4: Wednesday, October 4th
Now on the home stretch, the team set out early to cover the remaining 212 miles, heading towards the Polish border. They travelled through the Polish countryside to the town of Przemyśl, situated approximately five miles from the Ukraine border.
There, they met with a representative from British Ukrainian Aid. It was an emotional meeting as Paul Williams oversaw the handover of the three ambulances.
The ambulances are now en route directly to the front lines, aligning with the 417 Brigade with the contents and supplies being sorted and distributed by the Ukrainian Aid team to where they are most urgently needed.
Paul and Paula Williams said “we are very proud to have delivered the ambulances to Ukraine and thank County for supporting this as their Charity of the year. We also want to thank all the companies and business partners who have supported us and ERS for ensuring the vehicles were insured during the journey over to the border”
Well done, County Group!
