Churches in the Richmond area of North Yorkshire have been collecting blankets, clothing and sleeping bags for refugees who are trying to flee from war torn Syria and elsewhere and are stuck on the Hungarian Border.
This week a motor home packed full of supplies collected by St Cuthbert’s, Colburn St John’s, Hipswell and St Mary’s Richmond, was delivered to a collection centre in Ingleby Barwick near Yarm. Boosting the collection was a donation of 100 new fleeces from Risedale Sports and Community College, the comprehensive secondary school on Catterick Garrison.
The collections will be added to a growing number of supplies from around the area, as Revd Andrew Cromarty, Vicar of Hipswell explained. “Dr Moneeb Ahmad, a dental surgeon, … is spear-heading refugee efforts on Teesside. He has raised an amazing £6000 in 2 weeks and has access to a barn for storage and a team of volunteers, who will sort clothing and other gifts, and will bag up essential food in family parcels.
“Much of the money raised will be used to purchase sleeping bags and survival blankets at cost price from friendly suppliers, while a number of food retailers have donated significant quantities of high-energy dried foods. Moneeb plans to combine his efforts with those of another group of volunteers collecting clothing in Middlesbrough, who have experience of regular charity runs to South-east Europe.”
Andrew added, “We have been moved by how keen people have been here to donate warm clothing, baby and nursing mothers’ clothes, etc. We feel truly humbled by peoples’ generosity and desire to engage with the refugees’ plight.”