THIS week Craig Borland shares his thoughts on the volunteer work of former Lomond School pupil Kristina von Kaehne, who was recently named a Diana Award winner for her efforts helping refugee families in Greece.

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AT the end of this month it will be 23 years since the world was stunned by the death of Princess Diana.

I find it hard to believe that so much time has passed. I can still remember feeling as shocked as everyone did on first hearing the news – then, as a mildly rebellious teenager who had no particularly strong views on the royals one way or the other, growing increasingly grumpy in the days that followed at the way normal life seemed to have been completely put on hold.

Among the best things to have arisen out of such dreadful sadness is the establishment of the Diana Awards, recognising the efforts of young people who have gone above and beyond in the cause of helping others.

I didn’t know much about the scheme until a few weeks ago, when we reported on former Lomond School pupil Kristina von Kaehne being one of this year’s recipients. And this week it is a pleasure to be able to shed a bit more light on the work Kristina did with refugee families in Greece that led to her being nominated and then chosen as a winner.

READ MORE: Ex-Lomond pupil Kristina on Diana Award win and volunteering with refugees in Greece

The word ‘refugee’ is an emotive one. Often – too often – it is confused, wilfully or otherwise, with terms such as ‘asylum seeker’ or ‘immigrant’. Refugees are people who have fled across national borders to escape armed conflicts or persecution, and are specifically protected by international law – not people who, as some might like to have you believe, have decided on a whim to cross borders, countries and continents, without good cause and motivated only by the desire to line their pockets.

Some will say there are good causes closer to home that deserve support. And that is undoubtedly true. But young people who want to – and are able to – expand their boundaries, and see what the reality of life is like for people living on the edge in other parts of the world, as Kristina has done, and to help those in need, are deserving of nothing but praise for their efforts.

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