Winter clothes appeal for Syria
Unwanted gear will help refugees survive
Residents are being urged to dig out their unwanted winter clothes to help refugees survive the upcoming harsh winter in Syria.
War has ravaged Syria for seven years and charity Scottish Action for Refugees (SAFR) has organised Seven for Syria – seven collections taking place across the country.
Four have already taken place, including one in Renfrew, and through generous donations, volunteers have gathered 400 boxes packed with clothes and supplies and raised £1,500 towards shipping costs.
And on Saturday, September 1 from 1pm till 4pm there will be a collection in Lochwinnoch at the village’s community annexe.
As well as collecting winter clothes to send to Syria, there will be a raffle, facepainting and family fun. Lochwinnoch Community Annexe will also be running a cafe.
Claire Macaulay, founder of SAFR, said: “Scottish Action for Refugees collects warm winter clothes for men, women and children, personal care items and school supplies to ship out to refugee camps each year.
“This year we will be working with one of our partner charities Hand in Hand for Syria, who will transport these and distribute them as part of their winterisation programme in Syria and to support schools there.”
Included in the list of things needed by people living in refugee camps in Syria are warm, waterproof jackets; long sleeved tops (no collars); trousers; baby sleepsuits and snowsuits; socks, hats, scarves and gloves; and thermal underwear. They also need personal care items like nappies, baby wipes, shampoo and shower gel.
To check the full list, go to the charity’s website at www. scottishactionforrefugees.org
To mark the seven years of war which have devastated the country, Scottish Action for Refugees has listed seven ways people can help.
These are to collect clothes; help a schoolchild; decorate a pencil case; raise funds; donate money; volunteer and help spread the word about the charity’s work.
We collect warm winter clothes for men, women and children