Matt Westfall, a London taxi driver decided to aid the families escaping the crisis in Ukraine after watching a video footage of a father bidding a heartbreaking farewell to his family.
‘I was watching TV one night and noticed a man in his mid-30s with his wife and child, all of whom were crying. It really drew my attention… and it irritated me,’ Westfall said. ‘I asked myself, What can I do about it?’
Westfall phoned a friend, and the two formed a group of fellow ‘black cab’ drivers with the goal of transporting fleeing Ukrainians to their destinations.
They also gathered around 10,000 pounds as donation relief from taxi companies and the crowd funding site GoFundMe.
Last week, a convoy of six London black taxis, another car, and a van set out on an 11-hour journey to Poland, drawing waves as it passed across Europe.
They delivered the supplies, which included sanitary items, baby food, and nappies, before setting off on a mission to transport individuals who needed rides to friends and relatives. He recalls the surprise he felt when they arrived at a refugee centre full of women and children fleeing the war.
I wasn’t emotionally prepared for these coaches. ‘It still rattles me,’ Westfall said, recalling recollections from his own family about what it was like during ‘the Blitz,’ the German bombing campaign against Britain during World War II.
On their 15-hour coach journey from Ukraine to Poland, one of the group’s passengers was a woman with a six-year-old kid who had not eaten.
‘She was becoming increasingly worried about her daughter’s health and well-being,’ he explained.
He told the little girl that they were going to McDonald’s. ‘The little girl’s eyes suddenly turned on like a light, and it was just a wonderful feeling that she woke up all of a sudden,’ Westfall said.
Another woman in her late 30s, this time with three children, was sobbing hysterically as she escaped Kyiv, where her apartment building had been attacked while her husband was fighting on the front lines. She only had two little rucksacks and a plastic bag with her.
Westfall described her as ‘absolutely in pieces’ and ‘sobbing her eyes out. That was her only possession in this world.’ That was one of the most agonising things I’ve ever witnessed. I’ll be forever grateful to the drivers who accompany me. In just over three days, we covered 2700 miles.We made 28 people safe,’ he added.
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