A heroic Edinburgh man ensured that orphans who had to flee war torn Odessa in Ukraine to safety in Poland did not miss out on a magical Christmas.
Gavin Menzies, 36, from Ratho, has continuously visited Ukraine and Poland since the conflict broke out in order to supply vital aid in the form of clothes, bikes and medical supplies to displaced orphans. Through his efforts, he had raised just over £11,000 to support hundreds of kids from Odessa that had to be evacuated to Poland following the illegal invasion carried out by Russia.
But as Christmas approached, charitable Gavin spoke with a director who is charged with caring for over 600 orphans from the Black Sea port city, who told him that he did not know how he would deliver on the Christmas lists written by the children. This broke his heart and led to him setting the wheels in motion to attempt to ensure that Santa would be able to perform a Christmas miracle.
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Gavin, who runs a holiday camp, Games at the Gate and the High Flyers Basketball Academy in Edinburgh, reached out to the contacts that he had in Currie, Balerno, the Pentlands and Ratho to see if he would be able to raise enough funds for presents.
On this, he said: “I'd kept in touch with those caring for the kids in Poland and I knew how important Christmas is culturally within Ukraine, so I asked what the children were doing for the holiday. The Director told me that he didn't have the heart to say no to those writing out their Christmas wish lists, and so I felt compelled to answer initially in whatever way I could.
“I reached out to a few organisations that I'd been doing my masters Play Therapy placements with and without hesitation, parents began offering to purchase gifts for the initial 19 children whose Santa lists I'd been sent. These gifts ranged from dolls, toy cars, painting and crafting sets and some games.
“I then got help from singer songwriter Heidi Talbot who got the Ratho Village Children's Folk Choir to sing the song Silent Night. This was put up on Spotify with all proceeds going to the Orphans of Ukraine.
“The Rotary Club of Currie and Balerno and the Pentland Ukrainian Support Group combined, provided me with a further £1,500 which meant I was able to purchase enough board games and toys for a further 600 orphans, all living within this displaced communit.
“I meant that they would have something to open on Christmas morning. Christmas just isn't the same without children’s joy and for these children, it wouldn't be right if they were denied a proper Christmas.
“We'd kept the whole thing a surprise and the director had taken them out for a walk so that I could set up the presents, which were all wrapped in Ukrainian national colours, in a nearby bothy. When the kids came round the corner and seen it was me they came running with smiles and laughter.
“We opened gifts and sang songs and shared the experience.”
Gavin was able to secure presents through donations from his community back in Edinburgh but through the £1,500 he was also able to fill up a van with board games and other gifts that he had managed to secure from a large toy shop in Poland. He had initially planned to help 19 children from one orphanage who were some of the youngest and most vulnerable health wise from within the displaced community.
But he was amazed at how many people came forward to help and decided that it would not be right for some kids to get presents when hundreds of other orphans were left without anything on Christmas. So through the generosity of others and his own determination, he was able to supply gifts from Santa to the other 600 or so kids spending Christmas away from Odessa.
“The director had said to me that he did not want to get a Christmas tree initially as he didn't have anything to put under it for the kids”, he continued.
“My target was for the initial 19 children, from one orphanage in Odessa and who are some of the youngest and most vulnerable health wise within the greater community. But I had no idea just how many people would come forward to help, and in the end, I had a surplus of toys and gifts that could go towards the other Odessa orphans in Poland.
“We also ended up having surplus back home that all went to Edinburgh children and families for Christmas. But it was by no means a solo effort, my friends pitched in to wrap presents, pack bags, help sort flights and my family are incredibly supportive of what I do.
“Not to mention the fantastic efforts of the choir and various organisations from across south west Edinburgh who really came together to make sure this could happen.
“The jobs that I do back in Edinburgh have provided me with the skills to be able to work with children and also my master's degree in play therapy with Queen Margaret University has allowed me to work with children to process trauma and to be understood through the common language of play.
“This along with my past experience working with refugees has taught me how to be present, to actively listen and most importantly, how to share in and hold some of their experiences. The misconception I think many people have, certainly from conversation around why I do what I do, is well... What am I going to fix?
“I'm not here to fix nor do I pretend that's what's happening. If by me being present with these children and directors/carers gives them hope, if it gives them the opportunity to express how they feel or even so much as reframes their outlook for that day - then it has absolutely been worth doing.
“I also have children back home in my basketball academies and holiday camps, some of whom I've known for over ten years now, and it's incredible to be around such supportive young people who I know will help champion the same values going forward and the importance of giving.”
All of the proceeds from the Ratho Village Children's Folk Choir’s rendition of Silent Night - which can be viewed here - will go towards supporting the orphan children of Ukraine in the future. Gavin has also vowed to return again in the new year to support the community until the end of the conflict and beyond.
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