Stoltman strongman brothers’ Dad gears up for epic Ukraine Jeeps for Peace mercy mission
BEST-KNOWN to many as dad of the world’s strongest brothers, Tom and Luke, Ben Stoltman is this month a man on a mission of his own.
Touched by the plight of the people of Ukraine, he’s preparing to drive one of his old trucks for use on the frontline of a war that has meant misery for millions but sparked a determined worldwide response.
Ben, who turns 70 later this year, is joining a Jeeps for Peace convoy which makes use of old trucks for frontline humanitarian aid. He sets out from Easter Ross later this month.
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More than 300 vehicles have so far been delivered by volunteers who fund their own trips before flying back home.
To this end, Ben is planning a picnic tea this Saturday at the Walled Garden, Easter Kincraig from 1-3pm to help raise funds.
His garden includes 8000 sunflowers he plants annually in remembrance of his late wife, Sheila.
Poignantly, sunflowers, her favourite plant, are also the national flower of Ukraine, symbolising peace, unity and resistance.
People are invited to take a picnic blanket and park in the field in front of his garden. The aim is to raise money for this and future trips.
The latest convoy team, of which he will be part, leaves on September 28, driving the full distance to Ukraine where volunteers will spend a night and get to meet some of the soldiers who have already benefited from these vehicles.
He will be joined by sister Karen and her husband, Vince Kelly.
Ben’s daughter Jodie Mackay said: “My dad has always wanted to do something to help the situation in Ukraine and he feels that this is something that will have a direct positive impact while also being an amazing experience for him.
“It’s also a great way to mark his 70th year as he turns 70 in November.”
Ben said: “I’ve got a colleague, Murdo Macleod, who I used to work with who told me that his son had just come back from Ukraine after bringing out a jeep.
“As I have an old Toyota Hilux I said to him that next time he was going out he could take it with him.
“When I met his son he just looked at me and smiled and said ‘why don’t you drive it out?’ I was gobsmacked - and delighted.”
He’s now preparing to make the epic journey via Edinburgh and Amsterdam and onwards across Germany and Poland.
He said of his motivation: “You just feel for them. They are just ordinary people like us.”
With a dad who was German and a mother who was Polish, the long trip has added meaning. His father arrived in the UK “hardly able to speak a word of English” and through hard work, first walking on a farm and then as a contractor, made a life for himself and family.
Ben says of the sunflowers he planted in tribute to his late wife: “I walk past them every day. hen you stop and look at them, you just can’t help but smile.”
The Jeeps for Peace mission is simply to save lives in Ukraine.
Once there, each vehicle is modified before being sent to the frontline where they are used to deliver critical supplies of food and medicines, evacuate civilians in danger and retrieve wounded soldiers.
The charity says: “They can then be rapidly transported to the vital medical teams. Each vehicle directly saves lives and is invaluable.”
Ben’s crowdfunding page can be found at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/driving-jeaps-for-peace-ukraine
