Justice and Peace Consett: Charity clothes collection needed bigger van
A charity clothes collection needed a larger van after the generosity of parishioners outstripped predictions.
The annual collection of clothes for refugees at St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Consett, on June 27, 28 and 29, brought in more than 200 bags of clothing, bedding, towels and toiletries. Elddis Haulage – who provided transport free of charge – had to replace a van with a seven-and-a-half tonne truck to carry the donated items to refugees in Newcastle.
Bags of clothing and other items collected by Consett J and P group are collected by Elddis,
who provided a truck to take the items to WERS
Mary Naughton, who organises the collection on behalf of the St Patrick’s Justice & Peace Group was delighted by the kindness of the people who donated to the cause and by Elddis, who provided the transportation.
She said: “We’re always amazed by the compassion of the people who give to the collection, but this year was really special because of the economic pressures people are facing. It was also fantastically generous of Elddis to provide the truck and two staff. We know the rising cost of petrol has hit haulage companies hard, but we would have been stuck without them.”
The annual collection takes place over a weekend every June at St Patrick’s Church Hall, Consett. The clothes and other items go to the West End Refugee Service (WERS) in Arthur’s Hill, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, for distribution to refuges and destitute asylum-seekers.
Refugees who have been turned down for asylum but have not left the country are not allowed under British law to receive benefits, even when they are appealing the government’s decision. Numbers of destitute asylum-seekers dealt with by WERS alone have risen from 104 to 140 in just 12 months.
As well as the annual clothes collection, St Patrick’s Justice & Peace Group also holds a monthly rice collection for refugees which has raised more than a tonne of rice in two years.