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50 Spring 2023 The Plant and Hire Aid Alliance, in association with Rotary International, has called on the rental industry to donate to its latest initiative, Power to Ukraine, which aims to send 10,000 generators to Ukraine. Following attacks on the power grid and other infrastructure, many Ukrainians get only three hours of electricity per day. In the meantime, winter temperatures in the capital, Kyiv, can reach as low as 24 degrees F during the day and 12 degrees F at night. Around 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes, according to Jeremy Fish, CEO of Ardent Hire Solutions, which set up the Alliance. To ensure that the generators reach those in greatest need, the Plant and Hire Aid Alliance is working with the 69 Rotary Clubs across Ukraine, which will help distribute the generators and confirm they have been provided directly to those intended. The aid workers will also register recipients on a website created by the Plant and Hire Aid Alliance to ensure the generators are in the hands of their intended beneficiaries and that they are being used as intended. The alliance, which comprises 40 rental industry companies - including insphire, Sunbelt, Ardent, Plantforce, Point of Rental, JCB, GAP and Riwal - has been working to support humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine since the Russian invasion. At the end of last year, it delivered a vital supply shipment, with a convoy of 15 Alliance vehicles making the 1,200-mile journey across Belgium, Holland, Germany, Poland and into Slovakia, to deliver 1,500 boxes of donated supplies. The convoy was met by a group of 40 Ukrainian refugee volunteers at Kosice Airport, the most easterly point of Europe before entering Ukraine, who transported the supplies to Rotary International’s humanitarian centre in the Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod, for distribution to local communities. In addition to essential items, the supplies included 250 mattresses that will be used to shield citizens in underground bunkers from Russian shelling, and medical supplies - such as stretchers, wheelchairs and crutches, which were prioritised for urgent delivery to central Ukraine. Jeremy said: “This convoy was an opportunity to show the world that our industry can unite behind urgent humanitarian crises and that we’re a force for good. The plight of millions of Ukrainians is desperate and this is our opportunity to help and give something back.” ALLIANCE AIMS TO SEND 10K GENERATORS TO UKRAINE The alliance also ran a campaign in which it urged members of the public to buy and wrap Christmas presents for Ukraine children who suffered incredible losses during the war, which were sent to Rotary International, for distribution to children across the country. Companies in the plant and plant hire industry have joined the alliance to provide joined-up efforts and raise public awareness. More details about the alliance are available at www.aid-alliance.com <<