Donations show no sign of slacking off

The people of the Borders have demonstrated overwhelming generosity with to help Syrian refugees in what has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of our time.
SBBN borders refugee crisis October 2015SBBN borders refugee crisis October 2015
SBBN borders refugee crisis October 2015

Members of Duns Parish Church recently opened the doors of the church as a Drop-Off point and were inundated with donations of clothes, bedding, food, toiletries and stationery.

Several health centres throughout the Borders also took donations from NHS Borders staff ( and some very kind members of the public, when the word got out), and the 
response was equally amazing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Having made several unsuccessful attempts at re-uniting unclaimed items of lost property with their rightful owners, Berwickshire High School also donated several bags of shoes and clothes.

Borders Aid for Syria were similarly overwhelmed with donations from the people of Eyemouth and surrounding areas.

The items have now been delivered to Edinburgh Direct Aid and Re-Act, formerly Cal-Aid Edinburgh and distributed to displaced refugees in camps in Calais, Croatia and beyond.

Members of Re-Act who have already made trips to the camps are now stressing that there is a need to raise funds, both to help transport the donated items and to be able to respond to changing needs as they arise.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They are also in need of volunteers to help sort, pack and transport donated goods.

Anyone wishing to know more, or who can give up some spare time to help, are being urged to get in touch online at www.re-act.scot.

For anyone still wishing to donate clothing or other items, the Red Cross charity shops are accepting goods, the proceeds of sales of which will go to the Europe Refugee Crisis Appeal.

Volunteers would like to say thank you to all of the above helpers and especially Kezie Foods and Countryside Kitchens for their help with transport.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Borders Aid Syria also wish to thank volunteers , and the group is in a similar position, requiring funds to send off clothes donations.

James Anderson of Borders Aid Syria has said this week that the donation efforts were "phenomenal".

"There was an overflow," he said.

"People just don't seem to want to stop! Now we are looking to raise some funds so that we can just get the clothes and things to where they are most needed.

"We are linking up with Highway nursery, and we have someone who will pay us for the rags and older clothes that we feel we cannot send, so it looks like we'll be able to send some more out soon."

Donations can be made to Borders Aid Syria by dropping them off at 31, The Avenue, Eyemouth.