Pride of Scotland hero Stevie Carr returns to Ukraine for first time since mercy mission to rescue orphans
PRIDE of Scotland winner Stevie Carr has returned to the Ukraine for the first time since he rescued 56 orphans from the war-ravaged city of Dnipro in March last year.The big-hearted dad-of-three, who broke down in tears when some of the children he helped evacuate surprised him on stage at our awards, warned the situation in Ukraine’s fourth-largest city is as dire as ever.On January 14 more than 40 people, including six children, were killed when a Russian rocket smashed into a nine storey apartment block in a residential area of Dnipro.Today as we launch our search for our unsung heroes of 2023, Stevie, who spent three days in the city visiting orphans supported by his charity Dnipro Kids, tells how the once bustling city has fallen quiet, with buildings obliterated by missiles and air raid sirens ringing out all day and all night.The 57-year-old from Perth, who won a Special Recognition award at our glittering ceremony, said: “It’s just heartbreaking to see the once bustling city so quiet and on alert.
There are ruined buildings everywhere and armed soldiers on the streets. There is such a strange atmosphere.“There are no trams or trolley buses, the electricity regularly cuts out and the air raid sirens go off all the time warning of rocket attacks.
Two missiles hit the city this night last week.“Fortunately they didn’t cause as much damage or loss of life as the missile attack a few weeks ago.
It was right next to an aqua park we used to take our kids too. The devastation really brought it all home.“For the most part, people in Dnipro are still trying to get on with the rest of their lives as best they can.
