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The big-hearted cash gift of £230 – part of a £3,340 donation on behalf of charity Mercy Corps Scotland – was presented today (Friday) by Scots Tory MEP Struan Stevenson, as he cut the ribbon at the official opening in Urdzhar, Kazakhstan.

P6 pupils at St Paul’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Whiteinch, Glasgow, raised the money by staging a bring-and-buy cake sale and a sponsored 5km fun-run, following a recent visit by Mr Stevenson. Their gift will help furnish classrooms at the new school.

Over the past 12 years, Mr Stevenson has raised nearly £80,000 to help victims of radiation in a region of eastern Kazakhstan used for top-secret nuclear weapons tests during Soviet times. Known as the ‘Polygon’, the area continues to suffer high rates of birth defects, cancers and disabilities.

Speaking at the opening, Mr Stevenson said “The horrific legacy of nuclear testing in eastern Kazakhstan means the children and grandchildren of people exposed to radiation continue to suffer appalling rates of illness and disabilities. In many ways, the people of this region are the real victims of the Cold War. Thanks to this wonderfully kind gift from the children at St Paul’s RC Primary in Whiteinch and other donations, the children of this new school can enjoy facilities suited to their needs. The fact that pupils from two schools, thousands of miles apart, can come together in this special way is deeply symbolic and shows that love can always conquer adversity.”

Claire Mathieson, P6 teacher at St Paul’s RC Primary, Whiteinch, said “The children were really moved by Struan’s talk on the problems faced by young people in the Polygon and decided they wanted to do something to help. At St Paul’s, we’re very keen for our pupils to be aware of the wider world and the lives of children in other countries. This fundraising project was a great way for our P6 class to make a real difference for the children of Urdzhar.”

In April, Mr Stevenson visited the Polygon with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Mr Ban used the occasion to call for global nuclear disarmament, praising the example of Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who in 1991 cleared Soviet missiles from the newly-independent country.

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Along with overcast skies and demoralising rain, the image of a stone-throwing youth dressed in the obligatory tracksuit and baseball cap outfit is another of the instantly recognisable features of a Northern Irish summer. Whilst public disorder or ‘recreational rioting’ would certainly make the headlines in any other western European state, in Northern Ireland it has become a July tradition that is rarely afforded the column inches that it would receive elsewhere.

Fortunately, this years rioting is beginning to calm down and normal routines will soon resume for those affected by the confrontations. In terms of street violence and rioting, it would appear that there are clear skies ahead until next July. However, if last week’s disturbances are to be more closely scrutinised, a sinister, but familiar series of events becomes apparent; is there a dark cloud on the horizon for Northern Ireland?

Read the full article here.

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