Jim got hot water for Chernobyl kids

JIM GILLIES was the winner of the Inspiring Seniors category at The Broons Awards earlier this year.

The Cumbernauld grandpa was presented with the title in honour of his annual visits to Ukraine, where he gives money, clothes and medical supplies to children still affected by the Chernobyl nuclear fall-out.

The 75-year-old has just returned from his latest visit, where he again turned hero for the hard-working but underfunded staff at the rundown Mallin Hospital, which sits near the nuclear exclusion zone.

Usually when Jim travels to visit the sick kids, he has Ukrainian friends with him who can translate and assist with finding the correct public transport. But this time he was mostly on his own.

He became lost a few times during his stay, but reminded himself he was an Inspiring Senior and had to get the job done!

He went to the hospital to hand out clothes and shoes to the kids and as always the nurses and doctors were delighted to see him, but to his dismay he discovered the hospital kitchen had been operating without hot water for several months.

The boiler had broken and there was no money to fix it, so Jim went straight out and bought a new one and gave them £100 for the installation.

The kitchen staff and nurses surrounded him when he came back with the boiler, saying thank you over and over again.

Jim was away from home for nearly three weeks and, with raising money for the hospital becoming difficult, he’s not sure if or when he’ll go back.

He’s unlikely to travel by bus again (it took him four days to reach Ukraine this time), but don’t bet against Jim jumping on a flight and returning to help those he regards as a second family at least one more time.