Dnipro Kids launches special charity single as Scottish and Ukrainian artists collaborate on Sunshine On Leith
The Proclaimers have thrown their support behind a new cover version of their anthem Sunshine On Leith recorded to raise money for Dnipro Kids
Edinburgh charity Dnipro Kids has launched a brand new charity single as part of plan marking two decades of supporting children in Ukraine.
Artists from both Scotland and Ukraine have come together to record a special version of Sunshine On Leith, originally made famous by The Proclaimers and adopted by Hibernian Football Club as a renowned supporters’ anthem.
The choice of song was a nod to the beginning of Dnipro Kids, which launched in 2005 after Hibs fans took time out of an away day trip ahead of a UEFA match against Dnipropetrovsk to support a local orphanage.
Since then, Dnipro Kids has continued to support Ukrainian orphans and even brought children impacted by the ongoing Ukraine War to Edinburgh in 2022, marking the first Ukrainian refugees to be placed within Scotland.
Founder Steven Carr MBE said: “We’ve been going 20 years and we’re still going strong. It’s just an amazing story and an amazing journey we’ve been on.”
A new documentary, expected to be completed later this year, is set to tell the story of Dnipro Kids with a very special version of Sunshine On Leith ready to play a central role in the film.
The song has been arranged by Ukrainian composer Bohdan Ilnytskyi alongside while Scottish singer-songwriter Luke La Volpe and Ukrainian artist Mariia Sysa provide vocals on the track.
The Proclaimers themselves have thrown their support behind the charity cover single, with all proceeds going directly towards Dnipro Kids.
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Steven said: “We still support the children that we brought over back in 2022.
“Some of these children are now young adults. They’re in further education or employment, and they’re in their own accomodation, but we still provide a level of support and we’re also upping the level of support for children who are still left in Ukraine.
He added: “When it’s not in the news 24/7, people think everything is ok in Ukraine but it’s not.
“If anything, in the past six months, the level of missile and drone attacks by Russia has increased substantially and the infrastructure in Ukraine has been absolute bombarded.
“People in Ukraine are really feeling it still. I have friends there who get two hours of electricity in the morning and two hours at night.”
Sunshine On Leith by Dnipro Kids is set to be released digitally on Friday, May 1 on bandcamp.com. A limited edition vinyl of the single will also be available to buy.