Former world footballer of the year lends his support to Ukrainian students in Oxford

• Watch the full video report by ITV News Meridian's Wesley Smith

The former Ukraine and Chelsea football star, Andriy Shevchenko, has been in Oxfordshire today (7 November) to support displaced students whose studies have been halted by the war in Ukraine.

The Ballon d'Or winner has helped launch a new scholarship programme.

The Oxbridge Foundation has been formed to fund up to 20 scholarships and bursaries to help Ukraine’s brightest students study at Oxford, Cambridge and UC Berkeley, California.

The scholarships are to be aimed at academically able individuals aged 17-19 years who would have completed the first year of Ukrainian undergraduate studies and are ordinarily resident in Ukraine.

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The foundation aims to raise funds via sponsorship and donors and will hold a Gala Dinner at Blenheim Palace in March 2024.

Shevchenko has become an ambassador of the charity.

He said: "For me, it's very important to keep awareness about Ukraine, to remind people the war hasn't stopped, the situation hasn't changed.

"I try to bring awareness about Ukraine and talk about Ukraine. We really need the support of the rest of the World."

The foundation is the idea of the Principal of Cherwell College, Stephen Clark, who is a former diplomat in Ukraine.

He said: "They need this opportunity, they can't get it back in Ukraine, this is why they're here.

"They left a war, a terrible invasion.

"We now need other organisations to join up with us, so that we can educate more students."