A Rotary Club is using £1,000 from its Christmas appeal to buy raincoats for refugees.

The Rotary Club of St Albans Verulamium is donating the money to St Albans for Refugees (StAR) to provide coats and other items for people both at home and abroad.

StAR’s Liz Needham said: “We will be using this generous donation to provide raincoats and rice to refugees in France and also to continue with our work with refugees who have settled in Hertfordshire.

“Eight families of refugees who have fled the Syrian war are now living in St Albans. They are receiving StAR’s assistance, as well as assistance from other local refugee charities.”

StAR representatives also recently visited the Rohingya refugees to hand out aid.

To find out about StAR visit www.stalbansforrefugees.org, or to find out about the Rotary Club visit www.rotary-ribi.org