recent trip in November 2010

Details of my latest trip,will be posted later.
This is just a short informative note. I visited visit to a different town where Bohdan Sobolevski the little boy I first saw in Malin Hospital is now living in a Childrens Rehabilitation Centre. He has been removed from his home along with his siblings. After a few months here he will be moved to a State Orphanage. He needs a cataract operation, and he is not yet 4 years old,it is so sad.
Jim Gillies.

planning my forthcoming trip.

Around end of October 2010 I will be setting off for Mallin Hospital once more. For most people the terrible events that began on 26th. April 1986 when an explosion and fire at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine sent clouds of radioactive particles into the atmosphere have been forgotten. However the children who inherited this deadly legacy are constantly living or dying from its effects. The poisoned land inside the Exclusion Zone with it abandoned villages and farms is a testimony which will last for hundreds of years. In Ukraine life goes on people struggle to make a living, Politician's as in UK have their own selfish agenda, Chernobyl is remembered in annual parades but the struggle of everyday life for many people must take precedence. My trips to help the sick children in Mallin Hospital are a small gesture in helping, but at least I know that I have tried.

Planning my next visit

I hope to return to Mallin Hospital children's Department late Oct. early Nov.this year 2010.Last year 2009 I was unable to go to the village where Bohdan Sobolevski lives because of the swine flue quarantine restrictions. This time I want to visit other villages as well as his, in the Zheetomir Region. I am going to go by bus which allows me to carry more items compared to flying which is too restrictive.The hospital now has more abandoned children than ever before according to the Doctor in charge . I must continue to do my best to help.
In this country as citizens we are told that an accident at a British Nuclear Power Station of the same magnitude as the 1986 catastrophe at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station is impossible. When you visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone ( which you can do as a tourist ) looking at the effects of the radioactive legacy you sincerly hope they are 100% correct.

Helping Fund Raising Event at Paisley

On Friday 2nd. July and Saturday 3rd. July 2010. I went to help a Ukrainian lady called Nataliia, Christie with two friends, and Neil, to raise funds to help orphans in Ukraine. After weeks of hard work they opened a two day fund raising event in the former Barret's shoe shop on level 3 of Paisley Shopping Centre. From both outside and inside it looked like an upmarket clothing shop, with plenty of high quality ladies clothing displayed on proper display frames. They had even displayed mannequins, courtesy of the Centres Management. There was a nice selection of baby clothes, toys.
There was a colouring in competion for children with junior sized tables and chairs for the young artists.
The event was officially opened by the Scottish Football Team's Manager Craig Levein when he cut the red ribbon at 11:00 hrs. on the Friday morning to loud applause from the crowd. The local press took picturs of him and his fans,and both the newspaper Journalist, and Radio reporter interviewed the new Scotland boss. The money raised by Nataliia's organisation will be used to directly help a woman in Ukraine who has taken 12 orphaned children into her home to care for them. It was a privledge to help her.

Ukrainian Social Visit

I recently returned from the Ukrainian town of Ivano-Frankivski where I was attending a friends birthday celebrations along with some of his Scottish friends. The town and the surrounding area is well worth visiting as it is very picturesque and interesting.
As it was a last minute decision of mine to go I could not travel with the rest of the party and had to use a differant route. My travel from Scotland to Ukraine by car, plane,two trains and three buses,was challenging due to linguistic isolation but very worthwhile. I would like to return to Ivano-Frankivski for a holiday in the future as I met a lot of nice people there.

Chernobyl Vigil

This years annual CHermobyl Vigil went well, the weather was kind to me.I met a few interesting people. However one stupid, ignorant man passed by in the morning shouting abuse, " I work for the Council take that banner down "
Later in the day he returned, shouting aggressively,take that banner down, or I will! He then started shouting at a crowd of young people nearby, this man's a tramp, begging for money,don't give him any, pointing at my pocket containing sandwiches and a bottle of water, look at his pocket full of money! Obviously he was losing the plot, big time. Reaching inside his jacket for what I suspected was a knife he the walked of still holding his metal walking cane. I then watched him, believe it or not, flag down a large Police van, a few minutes later a young Police Officer came up to me smiled and shook my hand. How are you? fine thanks I replied, I showed him my letter of permission from Glasgow City Council to hold my vigil. I told him that in my opinion the man with the cane who stopped them was a aggressive madman possibly carrying a knife. The Police Officer said goodbye and returned to the police van, because it was a large van I could not see if "I work for the Council " was there. I hope that Glasgow City Council does not employ such creatures.The Deputy Lord Provost of Glasgow, Allan Stewart came over to see me and offer his best wishes, presenting me with a Glasgow Tarten Scarf.

Annual Chernobyl Vigil

Hi all,Just to remind you about my annual Chernobyl Vigil,I mentioned in my previous blog. I had thought that due to the restrictions on air travel caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland I would have been delayed abroad, but the restrictions were lifted in time.So I will be in Glasgow's George Square on Monday 26 April 2010 from 08:00 hrs. till 20:00 hrs as planned.If you are in the city and have time, please drop past to say hello,and get an update about Chernobyl.
Cheers Jim Gillies.

Annual Vigil.

I will be holding my 24 th. annual Chernobyl Vigil in George Square,in Glasgow city centre on Monday 26 April 2010 from 08:00hrs. until 20:00 hrs. If anyone would like to come along on the day to say hello that would be great.

For the last 23 years I have held a Vigil to remind people of the terrible events that began during the night of 26 April 1986. Thousands of people living and working in villages and towns in the area's around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station suddenly had their lives turned upside down. The seemingly benign Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station became a malignant beast. Today its deadly legacy lives on, there are International Scientific teams operating in this real life radioactive laboratory they take samples, write up extensive reports, hold conferences no doubt carrying on a lot of good work.
The relatives of the people who have died,become ill,been evacuated from their homes, the self settlers who live inside the Exclusion Zone the thousands of children affected and their parents are not interested in scientific reports. I have held my Vigil's to remind people in this country of the suffering that Chernobyl has caused in the past, continues to cause at the present time,and will continue to cause in the future.

Edinburgh award

I would like to tell a story of a very helpfull Ukrainian woman whom I met in a Kiev Metro Station a few years ago. Looking around the Metro exits trying to figure out which one to choose, when I heard a frienly voice say in English,can I help you. I turned round to see a lovely Ukrainian woman, I asked her how she knew I spoke English and she said it was my lost look! that gave her a clue,and me thinking I was a cool character. Her name was ..... she was the wife of a diplomat a really nice lady, she took me on a tour around the city centre including the underground church, a fascinating place. We then went for a drink, then she made sure I got to the correct Metro station for home and said goodbye. This is another example of the helpfull people
I have met on my travels.
On 29 January 2010 I was presented with a medal, and an Honour Diploma scroll by the Ukrainian Government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for helping the children in Malin Hospital in the Zheetomir Region of Ukraine. The award was presented to me by Consul Vadym Vakhrushkin, from the Ukrainian Consulate,in Edinburgh. I wore a highland outfit for the occasion, which went down well with the guests.

Correction to first 2010 blog

Elections have been taking place in Ukraine and it looks like a change of goverment is taking place. When I was in Ukraine during the 2004 "Orange Revolution" people wanted their hero Victor Yuschenko to win. He did and citizens thought thought through time their lifestyle would improve, unfortunately this was not the case as events have shown. I know that at Malin hospital, back in 2004 they hoped their situation would improve, but the opposite happened. Now if civil unrest breaks out, once the official election result is announced who knows what will happen. At the present tiome I am trying to work out how to fund raise for the hospital in Malin. I have made enquiries about various fund raising ideas with different companies,in the past but they either wont help,or say because of Health and Safety issues they cannot allow me to try anything! I will just keep trying to come up with a feasable fund raising idea which is allowable?
Sorry folks I made a mistake in this blog, I put in Yanakovich's name instead of Yuschenko !