Refugee donations from St Albans reach Iraq and Syria

Thousands of donations have reached war-torn Iraq and Syria after parishioners came together in response to an appeal.

Members of SS Alban and Stephen Catholic Church on Beaconsfield Rd, St Albans, gathered clothes and bedding to fill hundreds of boxes for Samara’s Aid Appeal, a charity which provides humanitarian aid to refugees in the Middle East.

The boxes, which were sent off in January, arrived in Syria and Iraq recently. Carolyn Crawshaw, the local coordinator and member of the church, said: “There was an overwhelming response from my church as well as my neighbours, and even people I hadn’t met before who had heard about the collection.

“I felt so desperate to do something so my friend at the church said we could do this. We got lots of lovely people donating things that were really important; they were really special items they may have been hard to let go of before. Things from lost loved ones or things that they held close to their heart because of the memories they had with a loved one.

“It’s an appeal that moved so many people and who had otherwise felt helpless and wanted to feel like they were doing something.”

Thousands of items including quality winter clothes and bedding were donated and then sent with other donations from across the country.

Samara’s Aid Appeal is based in Brighton and co-ordinates these donations. For more information visit: http://www.samarasaidappeal.org/

SS Albans and Stephen Church is planning a weekend in the next couple of months designated for prayer, fundraising, and clothing collections for the Middle East.

For more information call 07787556073 or visit the church website: http://www.albanstephen.com/