Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival Auld Smokey pizza van to help refugees as it arrives at the Ukrainian/Polish border
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Organisers behind the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival are aiming to feed refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Joe Gibbs, together with his son Eion and daughter Jeanie, who set up the event, has arrived at the border between Poland and Ukraine.
They have brought The Auld Smokey pizza van, a converted longwheel-based Landrover, and a Mercedes van packed full of supplies and are currently 150ft from the border.
The Belladrum crew will be joining Mr Gibb’s brother-in-law, David Fox-Pitt from Loch Tay, whose idea the mission was and who has just set up a food outlet at the Medyka border crossing into the South-East of Poland.
Poland has already taken in more than 1.4 million Ukrainian refugees with many more expected.
Mr Fox-Pitt said “I have lots of ideal equipment through my business WildFox Events Ltd and I was moved to take action and offer practical help in these tragic circumstances.
"We look forward to the arrival of the Bella team but despite the generators and portaloos this is no festival. Thank you to those that have already donated to Siobhan's Trust, with financial support we can use our little field kitchen as a catalyst alongside existing charities and volunteers already operating in this small polish community."
The Auld Smokey pizza van in a converted longwheel-based Landrover has been generously lent by its owner Lewis Lilburn from Lentran and prepared by Quentin Stevens of The STOREHOUSE of Foulis where it has cooked pizzas for the past year.
It is an all-round Highland initiative, Fred and Soph Swift of South Clunes Farm, Kirkhill, have lent their Mercedes van which is transporting the food and will then supply a place to sleep.
Aird Motors in Beauly worked against the clock to get the van through its MOT and on the road to Poland.
• Any dough-nations to Siobahn’s Trust will be used solely for Ukrainian refugee relief.
