A homeworker who is driving across Europe as part of an aid convoy to deliver supplies to desperate Ukrainians has been pulled over by Austrian police.
Hays Travel agent Carla Hodgson (pictured) had to answer police questions about customs clearance paperwork around 80 miles from Vienna, alongside the drivers in the four-vehicle convoy organised by Gosport-based charity Jacob’s Well.
The group plans to arrive in Baia Mare, Romania, and hand out 10 tons of supplies – including first aid kits, nappies and toys – to refugees on Thursday.
More: Travel trade collects items and funds for Ukrainian refugees
Carla told Travel Weekly: “We’re all broken. I cannot believe that they pulled us over. We’d only been in Austria for an hour.
“We were treated like criminals. They took our passports but they’ve now given them back.”
Hodgson, from Fareham, Hampshire, explained the convoy had passed through France, Belgium and Germany without any problems before being pulled over in Austria.
The group are now back on the road again after a call was made to the Austrian embassy in the UK by the Jacob’s Well founder.
“Hopefully nobody else will pick us up now,” she added. “That was the scariest moment. Now we’re on the road again, we’re going to the supplies to the refugees. The mission is still on.”
Prior to embarking on the trip, Hodgson had said: “Everyone has said ‘do you feel nervous?’ I feel giddy with excitement. I feel like I am on a mission.
Supplies piled high in the couple’s Luton van on Monday
“I suppose it was my fight or flight instinct – I wanted to do more than just donate.
“The more that [the invasion] has gone on, the more it feels like WWII. In this day and age, it should not be happening.”
Hodgson explained that she feared a conflict was going to break out in Ukraine during a recent break to La Rochelle, south-west France, where the couple have a holiday home.
“We looked up at the sky and we saw a massive convoy of military cargo planes,” she said. “There was about 30 of them on the same trajectory. I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach.”
Hodgson added that her only fear now is about breaking down during the journey. “I am not nervous – we’re motor homers,” she said. “We’re quite used to travelling long distances. My only fear is a practical one: I hope that we’re not going to break down.”
She also issued a plea to other agents who want to help with the ongoing humanitarian effort in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries. More than two million refugees are believed to have fled Ukraine.
“At the moment it seems to be the case that a lot of charities are being swamped with not necessarily the right things,” Hodgson said. “People need monetary support so they can dedicate it to housing. It’s money that’s going to help.”