Stevie and Mark’s Dnipro Appeal Diaries - Part 3 - Mark's Tale

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Part 3 - “Mark’s Tale”

27th September

We have 11 football kitbags, holdalls and suitcases sitting in my Garage, packed and ready to drop off at Edinburgh Airport. ITA have kindly agreed to ensure all the money, donations and gifts are taken through under the ITA banner, hopefully ensuring limited troubles with Ukrainian Customs and Excise. We agree to meet Kevin Thomas and his team at the Airport around 18.00 and I pack up my car and head on through to Edinburgh to pick up Stevie. On arrival at Edinburgh Airport, we are greeted by the first of the departing Hibby’s heading East to Dnipropetrovsk. We line up the four trolleys, which are added to by travelling Hibby’s who have brought along additional donations. After the queue has died down, we get the now 13 pieces of luggage through the excess baggage counter and pray to any gods we may believe in that they all make it to the other side. We have arranged to meet up with Kevin and have the bags transferred to my ‘suite’ in the hotel. We have a couple of Hibs Netters man a hastily organised Dnipro Appeal Collection Point in the Hotel Bar, passing them posters and basic instructions on what to do until we get there.

Stevie and I say a fond farewell to the bags and two weeks of hard work, hoping that everything will run smoothly on the other side.

28th of September – ‘‘We’re on our way’’

It’s a 4 am start as we all head down to Edinburgh for the 7.00 Hibee Express to Dnipropetrovsk. Stevie gets picked up by Colin Dudgeon and Graeme Barclay (two guys who deserve a lot of credit for the help they put in) and meets with me in the Airport. As most of the travellers get wired into the bevvy, Stevie and I stay sober, in what was a pretty uneventful flight over. On arrival, I am interrogated at Immigration, the stern faced Immigration Official repeatedly asking me ‘Why Strachuuuunnnn’? (He is either bitter Hun or an unhappy Sellick fan), either way I eventually get through, only be stopped at Customs for carrying a remote control car for the orphans, a shrug and a vacant stare gets me through and out into the warm summer air of the Eastern Ukraine. It takes an hour or so for everyone to clear customs, so the Hibs support tan into the 30p half litre bottles of beer, whilst Stevie and I ascertain what to do next. I meet Kevin Thomas of ITA who passes me a wad of US Dollars from the funds but gives us the worrying news that one of the 13 bags went missing on the previous nights journey over.

Now fretting about possible losses, we get to the Hotel Dnipropetrovsk around 14.30, where I quickly get in to my suite (picture a two up, two down circa 1970 and a two day episode of Rising Damp for an idea of facilities’). Money belts on and its down stairs for a quick hello to Sergey, the Hibernian Legend from Rostock on Don in Russia, a check of the Dnipro Appeal Collection point, which has seen some collections and is being manned by’ Flash’ the Photographer. We ask others to take over this roll and go down stairs to finally meet Mike Pratt and his lovely Translator, Ira and off we go on a pre-organised meeting to see the Kids.

Whilst heading over we have a chat in Mike’s (sadly) Maroon Minibus about the best way to approach the following few days. Stevie and I are keen to see the facility but we agree that before we do so we should begin purchasing some of the essential items. We have US$ 1460 burning a whole in my money belt so Mike and Ira take us to a moneychanger, in a seedy looking back street. Nervous and slightly overwhelmed by the lump of Gryvnia we are given, we get back to the Minibus and head off to buy the TB Breathing Equipment and a Phone for the Orphanage.

30 minutes later, and 1000 Gryvnia lighter we have a new Nokia Mobile Phone, Four Months Credit and TB Medication Dispenser which we hope, will help change the kids lives.
Next stop is the Predniprovsk Tuberculosis Children’s Centre, the place where the majority of the aid is destined. Crossing the River Dnipro, we leave the main city for the East Side of the river. This area is a mixture of small Wester Hailes type Housing estates, vast woodlands and one huge Power Station spewing filth into the late afternoon air. As we pass through a pine wood Ira points out some new buildings, these are the FC Dnipro’s Training and Physiotherapy Centre, including Accommodation for Youth Players and Trainees. It puts the youth facilities Hibernian have to shame. A few hundred metres further down the dusty lane, we arrive at the gates of the Sanatorium, which actually backs onto the Training Facilities.

As we enter through the gates, we can see the kids playing in the wooded areas and park, they quickly realise who has arrived and within seconds are chasing our minibus down the track. We get out to be surrounded by scores of happy faces, each shouting for our attention. We say hi to as many kids as we can, and are then shuffled into the buildings reception to meet the Facilities Director, Vasily, and also the Head Doctor/ Carer.

We are given a tour of the facility. The initial images are that of shabby but clean conditions in which the kids are kept. We are shown the dormitories, which are small rooms, sleeping between 12 and 16. Their classrooms are also small and although this is a state facility, the state have only properly financed one of the classrooms, the rest are supported by charitable donations. We are also shown round the kitchens and meeting areas. It is fair to say that the building and its fittings have not been changed or renewed a great deal since its opening forty years previous. It is clear to Stevie and I that the donations from the Hibernian supporters, football fans and Scottish School kids will go a long way to helping change the lives of the children. We leave the Sanatorium emotionally drained but feeling very proud.

After quickly quenching our thirst in the humid temperature, we agree the next step is to head on to the shops and to start purchasing the goods we had previously agreed on. Whilst the appeal was generally directed towards the Orphans within the Sanatorium, we had decided early on to spread the funds around as best we could. Two other causes we had chosen to support were Bear Child (a pregnancy crisis centre for the poor) and the baby wing of the state hospital (which looks after abandoned and other unfortunate babies). We decided to concentrate Wednesday Nights spending on these facilities in what felt like Round 1 of the Dnipro Version of Supermarket Sweep! We managed to purchase over 2,000 disposable nappies, dozens of packets of Baby wipes, scores of bottles Baby shampoo, Baby lotions and creams, various Baby foods, Powdered Milk, Baby soaps and Soap for cleaning linen nappies.

It is now 8pm and after a hectic few hours Mike and Ira drop Stevie and I of at the hotel. We head off to our rooms for a quick change before meeting back up at reception. The Charity bags are securely locked in Hotels left luggage room with the access code in the safe hands of Colin Dudgeon. We feel it’s time to take a breather and decide check them out in the morning. A quick pint, a plate of foul tasting hotel chips and we are ready to head out in search of a drink in the company of our mates. A couple of phone calls later and we are on our way to a bar full of Hibs Fans with the guiding beacon being a large Penny Farthing sign lit up outside the bar. The place is rocking to the Bounce Hibs CD with various relatives and friends of mine staggering by in various states of Vodka induced disrepair. We choose to stand outside, catching up with old mates interspersed with frequent reccy’s to the bar. On one of those trips, Colin Dudgeon of the Bounce informs me of the attendance of various members of the Hibernian Board, sponsors and “weel kent” Hibs Supporting Stars of Radio and Television, who are all quietly sipping mineral water in an adjacent cavern of the bar. I introduce myself to Colin McNeill and tell him of the day’s goings on. Colin is immediately interested and calls on the clubs sponsors to listen in. After a brief chat, he informs us he would be delighted to come along to the Sanatorium the next day. Graham ‘Bomber’ Barclay also speaks to David Hardie of the Evening News, who also commits to coming along.

A quick Scooby snack purchased at the miraculous 24-hour supermarket we stumble across at 2 o’clock in the morning and we all retire to our beds, one big day behind us but an even bigger day ahead of us.

29th of September – ‘‘The BIG day’’ Begins

Stevie chaps me up around 9 and after a quick breakfast of black bread, fried eggs and coffee, Stevie gains access to the Left Luggage with Dudge. We ascertain none of the bags are in fact missing, which brightens up the day. I head off with Mike and Ira to change the rest of the money at the bank, whilst Stevie and Colin Dudgeon get the bags ready and leave instruction’s with Bomber who is rounding up the Hibs supporters who wish to visit the Orphanage, along with the club officials and press. I get back from the bank and we split the £ 2500’s worth of Gryvnia between Stevie, Colin and Myself. We then load up Mike’s van with the charity bags with a bit of help required from the Hibs supporters milling around reception due to the huge amount of donated articles. We head off to Mike’s small office in town where he has a team of helpers waiting to divide up the bags contents for us. We leave the bags in their capable hands, agreeing to see them at the Sanatorium at 13.00.