Stevie and Mark’s Dnipro Appeal Diaries - Part 4 - The BIG Day & Stevie Conclude

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29th of September – ‘‘The BIG day'' continues.....

Stevie, Colin and Myself join Mike and Ira for the next round of Dnipro Supermarket sweep where we have just under two hours to purchase one Thomson TV, one LG VCR/DVD, 2 packs of Scart Plugs, 10 Children’s DVD's in Russian, 2 Kettles and a Hairdryer for the Sanatorium Staff, various Toys and Games including Russian versions of Scrabble, Twister, Jenga, Lego, Alphabet Blocks etc, 30 plus Winter Coats, a Table Tennis table, paddles and balls, assorted sports balls, 15 chairs (for reception and hall), Foam Mats (for kids to sit on in TV room), Chocolate bars for the staff, a Petrol Lawnmower for the Sanatorium Grounds, 100 Bed sheets/ duvet covers (large) and another 100 Bed sheets/ duvet covers (small), and a supply of Toothpaste, Toothbrushes and Soap.

One hour and 20 minutes later the miracle has worked and we are loading the van and a hired truck with the gear, and then heading off for the formal presentation at the Sanatorium at 13.00. Colin and I must have had a bad pint of Ukrainian Lager the night before, as we both have a raging thirst and a slight ‘hangover’ feeling. A quick pit stop for Orange and Cold Water, we are refreshed and heading across the bridge to the sanatorium.

As we bump through the woodland in the grounds, we notice two minibuses have arrived and we are delighted to find the Club have arranged to bring the sponsors, Grant Stott, David Hardie, and reporters and photographers from the Daily Record and Evening News. Also on site are my two brothers, Nick and Scott, as well as Glasgow based Hibee Jack Glancy and off course Bomber. Wes, one of Mike’s staff has arranged a small tour for the party and after some photos with the kids in their swing park, Stevie and Myself are given a very heart warming formal welcome from the staff and kids of the sanatorium. After a brief speech from a staff member, two of the orphans, dressed in Ukrainian National Costumes, present us with the Ukrainian Traditional welcome of a loaf of bread topped with salt, which signifies the basics of life. The kids then welcome us and pass us paintings and drawings they have done for us. A few photos later and the press leave us.



We all enter the Sanatorium and begin the presentation to the staff and kids, telling them about who we are, who Hibernian are and what we have bought for them. In return we are given gifts of a traditional chopping board and a flask, which holds a half litre of local pepper vodka, which ensures there are more than a few tears, half from the emotion of seeing the kids, half from the excruciating strength of the nippy nip of vodka.

We hand out soft toys and Hibs shirts to the wee ones, and Bomber spends time ensuring every kid gets a sweet and toys from the children at Sciennes Primary School. Once the assembly hall is cleared of most people, the orphans are brought back in we hand out special Hibernian FC bags to each of them which include western trainers, winter boots, a Hibernian Scarf and Hat, a new Hibs T Shirt, a soft toy or two, a bottle of Irn Bru, a macaroon bar, some fudge and tablet. The only downside to the presentation that a communication mix up means that about 10 of the orphans miss out on new trainers. However, details are taken and this small hiccup will soon be rectified.

The visit is over for the day, we are all parched, sweaty but feeling great about what we have done. 12 of us squeeze back into Mike’s Minibus, which has a slow puncture and we limp out of the Sanatorium waving to the kids who are adorned with Hibs shirts and smiles from ear to ear!

Back at the hotel, we get washed and changed and head out for a meal and a couple of beers, before boarding buses to watch Hibernian play FC Dnipro at the Meteor Stadium. Our new friends have purchased tickets for the match too, many attending a football game for the first time.

Hibs lose 5-1 but play well and the Hibernian support ensure the players and manager know we will support them ever more.

The buses take us back into the city and we all head of to the Japanese Restaurant on the river to drown our sorrows with cheap beer and vodka. After an hour or so waiting for food that never comes, a group are sent of to the 24-hour supermarket to get enough beer, crisps, ham, cheese and bread to party in the “Strachan Suite”. I get to bed around 6.30 am, buckled and shattered.

30th of September – ‘‘Stevie’s Conclusion’’

I had arranged the previous day to meet Mike in reception on the Friday morning. The intention was that Mike was going to take us on a tour of the city and, if time allowed, a possible visit to the baby hospital would be included. However, one thing had been praying on my mind … the orphans that missed out on trainers!! I meet up with Mike at reception and the first thing I ask is whether it would be possible to ensure that the orphans that missed out could be helped out. Mike informs me that it would be possible to purchase trainers at the Metro (where we had purchased so many items the day before) but was unsure of the availability of children’s sizes. I asked if there would be any chance that we would be able to take the kids out for the day and get them personally fitted? Mike got on the phone to Ira asking her to contact the sanatorium to see if this would be possible. A couple of minutes later a call from Ira confirms that this would be possible, so we head off. As I arrive at the sanatorium the children are all in class so the only ones around are the ones we are taking out. It feels strange to arrive without dozens of excited children running around you considering the scenes of our previous visits.
Mike, Ira and myself collect the 10 children that missed out and head off to the Metro. We arrive and head into the large wholsale style shop. There are gasps from the children as we walk in, they have never seen such a place and are overawed by the size of the place and the items on display, especially the toy section. We find the trainer section and park ourselves down ready for the task in hand. Trainer sizes and styles are fairly minimal and it is quite a task to find everything needed. To put the task into perspective, and those of you with kids might be able to relate to buying new shoes, picture the scene with 10 kids and a very limited amount of stock!

A bit of perseverance and some sterling work from Ira, showing great patience in times of stress, finally results in all the children having brand new trainers. Smiles all round and we head out to the mini-bus. Out of earshot of the children I ask Mike if it would be possible to swing by a McDonalds and treat the kids. He thinks it would be a wonderful gesture as it is likely that most of the kids will never have been to McDonalds.

We head off to the nearest McDonalds and the looks on the kids faces as we park up is fantastic. Ira orders up 10 Happy Meals whilst Mike takes the kids to the children’s play area. The meals are brought out and the kids get rattled in about the cheeseburgers. It’s obvious that some have never been before, as they have to be shown what the ketchup is for and how to dip their chips in. After the meals I ask Ira to find out if the kids would like an ice cream. Silly question really, and the chorus of shouts on the gleeful faces means I don’t even need a reply from Ira. It had been hoped that Mark, Colin and the others would be able to join us but unfortunately a taxi run round all the McDonalds in Dnipro hadn’t proved fruitful and we had just missed each other.

With the McDonalds finished we head back to the sanatorium to drop the kids off. It’s after 4pm so classes are finished and normality, for me anyway, returns with dozens of children out playing in the grounds. The first thing that strikes me is the grounds are awash with green and white. Every boy and girl is wearing his or her football tops. I think it shows that the football tops that had been bought and donated by the supporters were now genuinely precious items to these kids.

I meet again with the Director who once again, through Ira the interpreter, passes on his gratitude and thanks. I take this opportunity to pass on some footballs, boots and goalkeeping gloves that had been given to me the night before by Hibs supporter Gibby Newton. Gibby had also purchased a Scottish saltire flag which he had printed with the club badge in the centre and I presented this to the Director who said it would take pride of place on one of the walls inside the building.

I take a couple of photo’s of the football top wearing children before jumping back in the mini-bus with Mike and having just about enough time to get back to the hotel in time for the bus to the airport.

After everything that had been purchased, both in Scotland and over in Dnipro, we still managed to have about £ 700 left over. I get ready to hand this over to Mike but before doing so I remove a small amount of the notes. I split this amount into 2 equal amounts and inform Mike and Ira that this is a gift to the two of them. I tell Mike that there is still a fairly large amount left over, which I will be giving him to use for the kids over the coming months, but that they must use the gifts to purchase themselves something nice for their relentless efforts over the last couple of days. These two people are genuinely two of the most caring, sincere people Mark and myself have met and it is with a lump in our throats we had to say goodbye to our new friends.

Since my return I have kept in close contact with Mike and we are still monitoring the remaining funds and how best to use them. There is still enthusiasm amongst supporters and I very much expect the Dnipro Appeal to continue and a permanent link to forged between the sanatorium and the Hibernian Supporters and moves are already ongoing for the launch of a designated website.

As for me, my Russian language lessons started on Tuesday!!!