Peter Jennings has been personally delivering aid to Ukraine for four years.
Shortly after Russia’s invasion in 2022 the lorry driver set up Derry Ukraine Aid, an organisation that has collected and transported tonnes of items which have proved vital for those living in the beleaguered country.
In May 2024 Peter was badly injured in an explosion while delivering medical aid to Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The blast left him with multiple injuries from which he has never fully recovered. The ordeal did little to dampen his courageous spirit though and within months he was back in his lorry and on his way to Eastern Europe.
Peter Jennings has become a personal friend of Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after their paths crossed in the town of Bacha in 2023. So impressed was President Zelenskyy that he subsequently awarded the Derry man The Star of Glory and Merit, Ukraine’s highest civilian honour.
Following Peter’s most recent trip to his second country, when he delivered hundreds of Christmas presents to children impacted by the continuing conflict, the people of the country sent the heartfelt message: “Thank you Peter for bringing the magic of Christmas to Ukrainian orphans. Your kindness, your generosity and your willingness to care for children who need it most mean more than words can express. Because of you their holidays were filled with joy, hope and the feeling that they are not forgotten. Your compassion is a true gift.”
