Former OIC worker living in Ukraine now safely back in the UK

A former Council employee who has made Ukraine his home – is now safely back in the UK.

Ian Ward and his wife Svetlana fled their city home in Kyiv shortly after the Russian invasion in February.

They were stuck on the outskirts of the country for a time but made it to Hamburg in Germany and have now reached Britain.

Ian, who held various posts in Orkney including as a leisure assistant at Kirkwall Grammar School Sports Centre, said: “We are staying with family at the moment, and we are thinking about the next steps. Obviously, we have one eye on what is happening in Ukraine, with this in mind we are thinking about the immediate future and the medium to long term. I wanted to thank everyone for their support during our last few weeks.”