Hope and Aid Direct
Hope and Aid Direct is a UK charity that sends humanitarian aid to people in need with the help of volunteers. It was founded on 24 August 1999 and was originally called Convoy of Hope and Aid Direct. The charity is based in Essex (CM4 9EE) and operates with the motto: Taking Hope and Aid not Sides.
What they do
- The charity collects, packs and delivers essential aid across Europe and beyond, directly to those in need.
- It focuses on practical help like food, shelter, medical supplies and other essentials, working with local partners on the ground.
Key history and activities
- 1999–2020: Volunteers raised funds, packed aid into lorries and ran convoys across Europe twice a year, delivering aid directly to communities. They worked in Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia.
- 2015 migrant crisis: Help expanded to Greece (mainland and islands) and Serbia. They also began assisting grassroots groups in France to provide tents and sleeping bags for refugees, a program that continues with annual collections for Calais and Dunkirk.
- 2020: During the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers used their lorries to transport PPE for NHS staff in the UK.
- 2021–2023: Ongoing work in France and a response to the Russo-Ukrainian war. The team set up storage in Essex to sort and load aid for onward transport to Ukraine, working with partners in Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova.
- 2022–present: The main focus is delivering aid directly into Ukraine using a backloading model (using spare space on returning Ukrainian trucks). On average, at least one 40-foot lorry goes to Kyiv each month. By January 2026, the charity had sent 95 shipments to Ukraine. All aid is collected across the UK, brought to the Essex store, sorted by volunteers, and loaded for transport to Ukraine.
- Other ongoing work: Support for refugees in France with tents and sleeping bags from UK festivals.
- 2025: Provided funds for food to Gaza through trusted NGOs. Launched “Donate to Divert” to redirect surplus goods from companies away from landfill and into the hands of those in need.
People and numbers
- Volunteers come from across the UK and have helped in many crises, including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka and the 2012–2013 wars in Syria and the Philippines.
- Revenue: £112,056 (2024)
- Staff: 0 (2025)
- Volunteers: 50 (2025)
Leadership and contacts
- Head of Operations: Charles Storer MBE
- Legal status: Registered charity (number 1077146)
- Website: www.hopeandaiddirect.org
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:56 (CET).