A GROUP of Ukrainian orphans are due to arrive in Scotland after fleeing the war in their home country.
The 50 young travellers, who range in age between two and 19, and their carers will fly from Poland to London, before making their way up to Scotland later in the week.
Home Secretary Priti Patel announced on Thursday that the youngsters, who are being cared for by the Scottish charity Dnipro Kids, which was set up by supporters of Edinburgh’s Hibernian Football Club, had been given the green light to travel to Britain.
Steven Carr, the chairman of the charity who led the effort to evacuate the youngsters from Lviv in Ukraine, said they were “just thankful and relieved that we are getting the kids to the safety of the UK, and to Scotland, at last”.
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He added: “We’ve known these children and their carers for many years, and when they said they wanted to get out we were determined to help.
“The assistance we have had from the other charities and organisations has been very important to us, and we wanted to place our thanks to them on the record.
“It is also very important to us to place our thanks on record to the UK Government and to the governments of both Ukraine and Poland for their help, understanding and assistance.”
He also praised the “unstinting work” of SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who raised the plight of the orphans in the Commons.
Carr said the MP had “helped push things over the line and helped get things done”.
The youngsters will spend tomorrow sightseeing in London, before heading to Scotland on Wednesday, where they will enjoy a welcome meal at Hibernian’s Easter Road stadium and then head to “the peace and quiet of rural Stirlingshire”.
Carr said: “We hope at that stage we can let them get on with life.”
He also thanked the Scottish Government, local councils and other organisations who had “stepped up” to help the group. “Without all the help we’ve received, this would have been an almost impossible task,” Carr said.
Blackford praised Dnipro Kids, which was set up in 2005 after football fans visited local orphanages when Hibernian played against the Ukrainian team Dnipro FC, for the “extraordinary and uplifting story”.
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