Minibus stolen from Ukrainian orphans charity

The minibus has a blue and yellow stripe along the side as well as the Dnipro Kids charity logo

A charity minibus used to transport Ukrainian orphans in Edinburgh has been stolen.

The Dnipro Kids vehicle was parked in the Joppa area in the east of the city when it went missing.

It is a 17-seater Ford Transit van with blue and yellow stripes and the charity logo.

Dnipro Kids says it is a precious asset, and is asking anyone with any information to get it touch.

'Devastated and shocked'

Stevie Carr, Dnipro Kids chairman and co-founder, told BBC Scotland it went missing some time over the weekend.

The vehicle had been parked outside a garage by mechanics following its MOT and was last seen by the charity on Friday.

When they went to pick it up on Monday it had gone.

"We are devastated and shocked that someone would steal a minibus with a charity logo so it's quite clear it's Ukrainian support and it's for children so we can't believe someone would actually steal that," Mr Carr said.

The vehicle is the charity's only minibus and is used to transport 52 children to school and other activities.

"The minibus has been invaluable to get them to school and get shopping and hospital visits and dentists," he added.

"We live in hope someone still has it and they hear about this and they feel guilty about taking a minibus away from children so they give it back.

"Even if they leave it somewhere and alerts us to it that would be helpful."

Dnipro Kids was started 20 years ago by a group of Hibs supporters following a trip to watch a match against Dnipro in Ukraine.

The children were then brought to Edinburgh when Ukraine was invaded by Russia in 2022.