Locals rally round for refugees

An appeal to make Christmas special for child refugees has led to an act of generosity by staff at Sky in Dunfermline.

Edinburgh charity ReAct, who are partners of local group Refuge Fife, have been working with volunteers in Samos, Greece, trying to offer basic schooling to the 525 refugee children stranded there.

Kirkcaldy volunteer Jan McCall, who regularly visits camps in Greece, asked for backpacks containing pens and pencils, as well as basic toys, hats, gloves and treats, to be made up for the children.

Following an earlier appeal for donations of household items for the Syrian refugees in Fife, Edinburgh woman Danielle McLeod got in touch and offered to help. When Jan told her that she was hoping to provide backpacks for the children for Christmas, Sky manager Danielle offered to put together the gifts for the children aged 6-10.

She got her staff, her family and her friends involved, and within days had all 159 backpacks ready to go.

“I was speechless when Danielle told me what she’d done,” said Jan. “It’s a truly amazing contribution to make and I never expected such support. The children in Samos will be thrilled to bits. They have so little to call their own that receiving a backpack like this, full of treats that they can keep, will give them a real boost.”

Danielle posted a message on Facebook, asking staff and friends to pledge to provide a backpack, and within five minutes, had received 24 pledges.

The backpacks will be shipped out to Samos on December 10, making Christmas just a little bit better for the many refugee children there. Each backpack will have the child’s name attached, using personalised tags designed by local man Robin Rodigan.

The tag that will be attached to the backpacks.