One of the things that has always fascinated me about being a writer is that I can really dig deep into a subject to find the human stories. The ones that mean something. My characters may be fictional, but the emotions that drive them, that shape their actions, are very real.
Fiction allows me to explore reality in such a way that I can slip in the facts so quietly that people do not realise they have absorbed something important along with being – I hope – thoroughly entertained.
If something of that story stays with them after the final chapter, then I am well-satisfied with what I’ve done.
And I have now been a crime and thriller writer for twenty-five years, penning stories about extraordinary people doing remarkable things. During that time, I have built up a reputation for authenticity and kick-ass characters.
Now I feel it’s time to put my money where my keyboard is, as it were. So, I’ve volunteered to join charity Convoy4Ukraine on their next journey, driving a 4×4 or pick-up across Europe and into Ukraine, delivering humanitarian and medical aid to within a stone’s throw of the front lines.
There are three semi-autonomous arms of Convoy4Ukraine, based in Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, and Co Meath in Ireland. Retired lawyer, Paul Parsons set up the Northamptonshire group in November 2022. He recalls being outraged by what he saw happening in Ukraine, and determined to do something constructive to help. He heard about a group of West Country farmers who were taking trucks out, and decided to do something similar.
Initially, Paul admits he thought his journey to Ukraine – in February 2023 – would be a one-off trip. Fate had other ideas. And when things grew too big to be handled privately, he looked for a suitable charity under whose auspices they could work. Convoy4Ukraine was the best fit.
Paul’s part of the operation is run entirely by volunteers. The premise is simple. Buy second-hand pick-up trucks that are rugged enough to handle the terrain – not to mention able to cope with occasionally being blown off their wheels and still drive away afterwards. They need to be roomy enough to take a stretcher in the back to evacuate the wounded, or to carry plentiful medical supplies. And they have to be reliable enough in service to keep going and going.
After some experimentation, Paul likes to go for Mitsubishi L200 double-cab pick-ups and Toyota HiLuxes, but Shoguns, and Nissan Navara pick-ups are also popular. Other makes and models have been tried, but these are the favourites. I did read a magazine article that said UK-spec vehicles were particular sought after because, being right-hand-drive, anyone aiming to sabotage the rescue efforts by eliminating the driver usually aims for the wrong side. This story may well be apocryphal – drones have overtaken sniper fire as the main form of attack, in any case. This is a war unlike those that have gone before, where sheer longevity ensures constant evolution of tactic and counter-tactic.
My upcoming contribution feels like a very small drop into a very large ocean.
For the trip in October, each volunteer driver, like me, has a target of raising £9,000 to cover the purchase cost of the donor vehicle, giving it a thorough service, and fitting a set of winter tyres. Each co-driver aims to raise the same amount in order to fill the vehicle with the supplies requested by the charity’s partners in Ukraine. All the travel costs, including fuel, hotels, food etc during the marathon drive to our destination, is borne by the driver and co-driver of each vehicle.
At time of writing, in July 2026, Convoy4Ukraine’s 561 volunteers have helped deliver close to 300 vehicles over the course of 24 convoys, raising £2.1m in the process – all of which has been spent on aid and vehicles. In country, they deal with a Ukrainian NGO who put together a wish-list and then distribute the aid where it is most needed, be that to hospitals, rehab centres, or medical outposts.
To date, C4U have assisted many medical teams and a number of hospitals in Ukraine, as well as funding two fully equipped ‘Stabnet’ mobile operating theatres, manufactured in Kharkiv. All this has allowed thousands of patients to be treated in emergency circumstances. Thousands of lives have been saved.
I’ll be starting my own journey from Northamptonshire in early October. At this stage, I have no idea who my co-driver will be – and I won’t meet him or her until the night before we leave for the Eurotunnel. I hope that Paul puts me with someone I can get along with for all those miles. Either way, it will be an experience I am approaching with anticipation but also a healthy amount of trepidation.
Our likely route will take us the best part of 2000 miles, through Germany and Poland before we finally cross into Ukraine. From there, how far we go is down to how far we feel able to. How far is deemed prudent, according to the shifting circumstances.
I am being completely up front about the fact that I intend to use my experiences to add further authenticity to my work. No surprise that Charlie Fox’s next outing may just see her heading into a war zone with an aid convoy, although from there I intend to step firmly into the bounds of fiction. In the past, I’ve dropped her down into the midst of collapsing regimes, earthquake disaster areas, the chaos of the Middle East – into countries torn apart by conflict. I feel this is my opportunity to give something back.
A friend took part in the most recent convoy, in June 2026. He reports long days, punctuated by meetings with amazing people who remain remarkably undaunted in the face of a conflict that has now reached the tragic milestone of outlasting the First World War.
He tells me of the one minute’s silence held daily at 9 a.m. to remember the dead, of graveyards filled with fresh dug earth, flags and photographs of lost loved ones. He tells me of air raids during the night, even miles from the front lines, and Google Maps dropping out whenever an attack is imminent. And he tells me of people who are so thankful not to be forgotten, even years into a war they did not start – one with no end in sight. People who are amazed and overwhelmed that anyone would choose to leave their own place of safety to travel thousands of kilometres to show their support.
I hope you may feel able to support my efforts and make a small donation to my JustGiving page. Anything you can spare is appreciated, and details are listed below.
I leave you with the words of Svetlana, who is a medic – one of the charity’s aid recipients. She wrote:
“Thank you for these words.
“Honestly, they mean no less to us than the vehicles, generators, or any other aid you bring. Because war does not only exhaust the body. It exhausts faith. And sometimes, more than anything else, a person needs to know that somewhere far away there are people who genuinely care.
“You come to a country where air raid sirens are part of daily life, where people have learned to plan their days between alerts, where every meeting could unexpectedly become the last. Yet each time, you choose to return.
“And that is what we remember most. Not the vehicles. Not the boxes. Not the supplies. The people.
“Those who could have stayed at home in warmth and safety yet chose to stand beside us. There are thousands of kilometres between us, different languages, different flags flying above our homes. But for a long time now, we have shared the same cause. Freedom. And the responsibility to defend it.
“You wrote that you return home with a feeling that there is still unfinished work. You know, most Ukrainians have lived with that same feeling for many years. Perhaps that is why we understand each other so well.
“Please pass on our deepest gratitude to your entire team. Every driver. Every donor. Every volunteer who raises funds, repairs vehicles, loads supplies, and gives their time, energy, and heart to this cause.
“They may never hear the explosions. But every day they help us withstand them.
“To many of us, you are no longer simply partners or volunteers. You have become part of the extended family that this war has created. And when Ukrainians say, ‘Please tell them thank you,’ believe me, those words carry far more than simple politeness.
“They carry lives. Saved crews. Another day of resistance. Another chance for someone to make it home alive.
“Take care of yourselves. And know that here in Ukraine, you will always have friends waiting for you.
“With great respect, gratitude, and friendship, Svetlana and all of our Wild Pack.
“War has a strange way of creating families where, only yesterday, there were strangers. And we are grateful that you have become part of ours.”
Convoy4Ukraine.com (Charity Number 1211075) have to date raised over £2.1 million ($2.8million) and have taken out 24 aid convoys to Ukraine, the most recent this June.
“I and my co-driver are each hoping to raise £9,000 (£12,000) to buy a truck and then fill it with high quality medical and humanitarian supplies requested by the charity’s contacts in Ukraine which we will then drive to Ukraine in October 2026.
“Convoy4Ukraine is run by volunteers who undertake all the administration so costs are kept to an absolute minimum. Travel costs and cost of diesel for the trip will be funded by those of us driving the vehicles so all money raised will be used to buy here in the UK the trucks and aid so desperately needed in Ukraine.”
WAYS TO DONATE TO CONVOY4UKRAINE
QR code to Zoe Sharp’s JustGiving page for donations towards Convoy4Ukraine October 2026
NOTE: Donors are asked to add a ‘tip’ which is retained by JustGiving. This can be avoided. After the Donor provides credit card information and the donation amount, a page will come up with the heading, “Your donation summary.” The detail shows a “Tip to JustGiving” which has been added by default to the total charge. This “tip” does not go to Convoy4Ukraine; it goes to the JustGiving platform. To avoid this charge, select “custom amount” and enter “0.00” in the box.
We hope that donors opt for Gift Aid which adds a net 25% to the amount the charity receives.
2. BY CAF
3. DIRECT TO THE BANK ACCOUNT (no Gift Aid)
Convoy4Ukraine Cooperative Bank
Account no: 67390805
Sort code: 08-92-99
Reference: please quote MT – October + Zoe Sharp
IBAN: CPBK 0892 9967 3908 05
Sadly, the charity cannot accept cheques.