Thornhill landmine clearing charity receives Scottish Government backing for Ukraine work

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Thornhill-based landmine clearing charity has been given Scottish Government funding to continue its work in Ukraine.The Halo Trust is working in the war-torn country to remove explosives left behind by Russia’s invasion and has been handed £300,000 from Holyrood.The money will go towards helping educate local residents and farmers on how to farm safely.Earlier this year Neil Gray, the minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine, visited the Halo Trust to watch a demonstration of how specially trained staff detect and clear mines.Mr Gray said: “The work carried out by The Halo Trust is helping farmers safely farm their land to improve food security while also saving lives.“The Scottish Government is already doing as much as it can to resettle displaced Ukrainians refugees in Scotland.

However, it is imperative that we turn our attentions to the situation in Ukraine itself, and I would like to thank The Halo Trust for taking on this essential work.”Halo is also training more than a 100 new starts and is also providing education to local people in the areas which have been mined to help protect themselves.Hidden mines have taken the lives of many adults who went into the woods looking for mushrooms – a foraging tradition in Ukraine.