The Van for Life which was organised by St Ann’s Chapel resident Colin Clarke, to help Ukrainian refugees flee the war, will be getting a new lease of life as an ambulance.

Colin, who runs a business in Tavistock, originally established the Van for Life after he was moved by the plight of the Ukrainian people when he joined a convoy to deliver supplies to a Polish refugee camp.

On his return to Britain, Tavistock and Tamar Valley residents pulled together to donate money for a 17-seat van which would be used to transport Ukrainian refugees out of the war-torn country.

Colin, along with his co-driver Polish-born Adam Wrobel, then drove the van to Ukraine and left it in the care of those working to help Ukrainians escape.

But, they have now contacted Colin with dire news, saying that the situation has changed and country is in great need of ambulances, especially in the east of the country where most of the fighting is concentrated.

A friend of Colin’s, who now owns the van, is planning to remove the seats from the vehicle and install frames for up to four stretchers and other basic medical equipment.

Colin is now hoping that he will be able to help fund some of the refurbishment by supplying some of the medical equipment.

He said: ‘It really will be a Van for Life. It will be used to pull out the most needy. Once the van is ready I would like to purchase the stretchers so this van can do even more good.

‘It’s only at the planning stage at the moment. I will open a Just Giving page when instructed by the man on the ground. ’

Colin’s humanitarian mission to help Ukrainian refugees, began in March, when he joined a convoy organised by another St Ann’s Chapel resident Darren Tait, to deliver essential items to a Warsaw refugee camp and was tasked with transporting a refugee family to their new home in Germany.

After seeing how his help transformed the family’s fortunes, Colin decided he would organise a special vehicle to transport Ukrainian refugees across Europe to new homes.

He added: ‘I want to thank Darren and Polly for letting me join their very first convoy to Poland back in March, without that journey this wouldn’t be happening.

‘Darren’s Cars are still a real driving force. They get things done.’

Darren Tait, who owns taxi company Darren’s Cars, has continued to return to Polish refugee camps with extra supplies to help them as the war continues to rage.

The war has been going on since February this year when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Since then millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes and made to other European countries with Poland taking in the majority.

In March, the UK introduced the Homes for Ukraine scheme.