Harrogate's John Shackleton seeks co-driver for mission to Mexico

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A Harrogate man who has delivered 40 fully-stocked ambulances to communities in Eastern Europe and beyond is searching for a co-driver for one last mission – even further afield.

John Shackleton, 86, said his last mission, to Kyiv, would be his final one, but now he’s embarking on yet another, and it could be his most ambitious yet.

Mr Shackleton is planning to fly to San Francisco, pick up an ambulance and drive it more than 2,000 miles to southern Mexico.

He told the Stray Ferret:

He said the right person for the co-driver's job would be an “easy-going person with a driver’s licence” who was “adventurous and prepared to help with the paperwork”.

He said he could finance the kitted-out ambulance and his own expenses, but the co-driver would need to pay for their own flights and food.

He hopes to set off in April 2026 and expects the trip to take three weeks. After dropping the ambulance off with his contact in Mexico, Mr Shackleton said he and the co-driver would make their way back to England tin he most economical way possible, but added that he had not yet worked out the details.

Over the last 35 years, Mr Shackleton has bought, equipped and driven ambulances to countries including Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Ukraine and Turkey.

He pays for them via a mixture of his own money and funds he has raised though activities such as selling on second-hand bikes and chopping up logs and selling them for firewood, which he still does, despite suffering a heart attack a few years ago.

Last year, he was awarded an MBE in the King’s birthday honours for his humanitarian work.

Anyone interested in taking part in Mr Shackleton’s final mission should email johnshackleton@aidtoeasterneurope.co.uk or call him on 01423 871 255.