Nearly 100 local volunteers have sacrificed their free time to welcome Ukrainian refugees to Scotland as they take their first steps into a new and unknown life in the UK.
Community Task Force Volunteers with Volunteer Edinburgh have gone “above and beyond the call of duty” to act as the representatives of Scotland and provide warmth and comfort to those fleeing home.
Since March, volunteers have been placed at Edinburgh Airport’s arrival gates, greeting approximately 1,400 refugees from mid-May to mid-June alone.
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Volunteers are on shift from 7:20am until midnight every day of the week, but Paul Wilson, chief officer of Volunteer Edinburgh, said they often go above and beyond what is expected of them.
“These volunteers are incredibly dedicated. If there’s a delayed flight with refugees on board, most of our volunteers will stay until they know those people are off the plane and safe. There’s no expectation, it’s simply above and beyond the call of duty,” he said.
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Four community task force volunteers spoke exclusively to Edinburgh Live about their experiences on the front lines of the volunteer response on Friday, and the overarching theme was small acts of kindness that ripple outward.
“It’s the impact of the small things that strikes you in the situation. To just give a child a teddy bear, you see their face light up, and it means a lot to the family and parents because it’s such a human gesture,” said Michelle Scott, 63.
“It’s like a human chain, and we are just one link of the chain that’s bringing people to a safe place.”
Scott is a self-proclaimed night owl, and she always volunteers to take the late shifts at the airport, often staying until two or three o’clock in the morning.
“When people come through the arrival doors, they don’t really expect to see somebody there in the middle of the night, and that’s a lovely thing because suddenly something is happening for them that they didn’t necessarily expect, and they look so relieved,” she said.
The volunteer project has profound significance for twenty-year-old Iryna Shyphat. Shyphat is from Ukraine, but she has lived in the UK for many years. When the crisis broke out in Ukraine, Shyphat and her mum searched for ways to get involved.
“It’s always noticeable when I speak Ukrainian, and you can see how relieved people are,” she said.
“When I speak to them in Ukrainian, you can just see the weight lifted off their shoulders like they can take a deep breath and know they will be ok. It feels really good to help. However, it can get too much for me and I get quite emotional sometimes, but I can’t show it because I have to help the people in front of me.”
Shyphat has been touched by many encounters, but one in particular has stood out to her. She said a group of four mums and seven children arrived from Ukraine late one night at the airport, and they couldn’t find rooms to stay that night.
“We stayed overnight in the airport with them so they weren’t alone,” Shyphat said.
“They were so happy and so grateful that we stayed. When they left, they gave us little presents even though they didn’t have much.”
Colin Arthur, 68, explained that the main function of the welcome team is to provide support for tired and traumatised arrivals and signpost them to the City of Edinburgh’s official Welcome Hub.
“You see women and children come through the gates and you know they’ve left members of their family, husbands and sons, fighting in the war. You see the mother’s and children coming through with such small suitcases and that’s all they’ve got in the world. Coming all that distance and not knowing what waits for you. We hope to provide them with a bit of comfort at the end of their journey,” he said.
Volunteer Bernadette Haran, 61, said she often thinks about what she would want for her family if she had to flee her home.
“You just can’t even think what it would be like, but for me I just want them to have the comfort and warmth I would want for myself and my family if I was in their situation,” Haran said.
Wilson said he is often struck by the fear on people’s faces as they step through the arrivals gates.
“I’m not at the airport often, but I’m always struck by how scared some people look coming through the gates. If you were to ask me to fit my life into one small rucksack and travel halfway around the world to a place where not so much as a sign is in my language, it would be terrifying. And so we do all we can at that point before our partners take over to support them and comfort them, and I think that cannot be underestimated,” said Wilson.
The welcome team has a booth in the airport arrival’s hall, and volunteer offer support while signposting those in need to the City of Edinburgh’s official refugee Welcome Hub.
Home comforts such as Ukrainian crisps and snacks are often available alongside water and SIM cards from Vodaphone. Hand-knit teddy bears are also given to children.
According to the City of Edinburgh Council, 5,000 Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed through the city to date, and 2,200 have been processed through the Welcome Hub.
“One of the things that I reflect on is the huge infrastructure that is enabling this to happen, and so much of that support is from our statutory partners like the Council,” said Wilson.
“I just want to recognise all the other people involved as well: the UK Borders Force, hotels, the airport, the coach company, the Council to name a few. They're really important because people need to have their health and care needs met. What our volunteers offer, in a word, is simply kindness. They’re doing a very human thing. They are making people feel immediately safe and welcomed to Scotland, and I think that’s a unique thing that cannot be underestimated.”
Community task force volunteers are an extension of Volunteer Edinburgh. More information about the task force and getting involved can be found at: https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/
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