The kind-hearted people of Manchester have been thanked after a local refugee charity received a wave of donations for those fleeing Afghanistan.
Following the Taliban’s take over of the country earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that over 20,000 Afghans will be eligible to be resettled in Britain, with women and girls given priority status.
The first evacuation flight from the war-torn country arrived in the UK on Sunday, with the second touching down late on Tuesday night, and another landing early on Wednesday morning.
.@DavidDavisMP said UK should welcome “north of 50,000” refugees from Afghanistan. @pritipatel announces UK will take just 5000 initially, and 20,000 in the long term. Davis’s argument is that the UK has a moral responsibility to do more. See attached @Telegraph & @HuffPostpic.twitter.com/tbo5NF7qfm
In response to the news that a number of refugees will be housed in hotels near Manchester Airport before being placed in more permanent accommodation, local charities have been appealing for donations from the public.
And, when the charity Care 4 Calais issued an urgent appeal for donations of men’s clothes and other items such as shoes, basic toiletries, stationery, and phone chargers, the people of Manchester responded remarkably.
The charity has since received dozens and dozens of bags and boxes of donations, which were delivered throughout the day from people across the city at one of their numerous drop-off points, one of which is at Beetham Tower down Deansgate.
A huge sum of money has also been donated, with the charity surpassing their initial £30,000 target for the ‘Afghan Welcome Packs’ with £40,000 in donations.
Founder Clare Moseley, who set up the charity in 2015, said on the efforts: “It’s just been fantastic.
“I’m a Northerner myself and we’re really proud of Manchester for responding in this way. We’ve had numerous locations accepting donations for us and I believe they are pretty full. We have had people bringing car loads and van loads of stuff.”
Clare added: “I think the North is always welcoming and it’s just fantastic to see communities coming together like this.”
For more information on how you can help the refugees fleeing Afghanistan, visit the following links:
