Down rallies around call to aid refugees

Down rallies around call to aid refugees

23 September 2015

DRUMANESS mum Anna Morvern knows better than most about the plight faced by refugees.

A human rights and refugee lawyer, she worked in London and Belfast for over 10 years where she represented many asylum seekers.

Familiar with their stories about reaching safety, Anna has heard first-hand about the difficulties and traumas commonly faced.

It is for this reason that she made an online appeal a fortnight ago, offering to co-ordinate donations that could be dispatched to refugees involved in the current crisis as they attempt to gain asylum in Europe.

She was stunned by the level of response from Ballynahinch and Drumaness communities with people flocking to collection points in their local leisure centres to offer 150 boxes of clothes, sleeping bags and other much-needed provisions.

Joined by fellow mums Sheree McAleenan and Andrea Walsh, who have helped organise, store and pack the boxes of donations, the three women were delighted when the produce was finally put on board lorries.

The shipments are now making their way to Calais and beyond to help those in Hungary and Greece.

Anna said local schools, churches and individuals had joined the effort, donating much-needed items such as clothing, blankets, first aid supplies and tents for the Irish Refugee Solidarity campaign. 

Christ The King Primary School in Drumaness held a fundraising event to gather funds for fuel and transportation, while Drumlins Integrated Primary School in Ballynahinch hosted a fundraising non-uniform day on Friday. Other local schools, including Holy Family Primary School, Teconnaught, have also collected a large number of donations.

“Initially I had just posted a message on my local buy-and-sell board saying that I would be happy to forward donations if anyone local wanted to contribute,” explained Anna.

“I was inundated with generous responses and so formed this local group to better organise our efforts. 

“We have had a lot of support from the leisure centres in Ballynahinch and Drumaness and from local councillor Mark Murnin.

“I am very committed to this. I think refugees should be welcome in other countries and the more people who see these images on the news, the more people agree with me. It is human compassion.”

Andrea agreed and said the generosity of local people was “amazing.”

“People have seen the terrible images of refugees stranded across Europe on the news and want to do something to help,” she said.

“Hearing their stories on the news, I felt I had to do something. I have a warm and comfortable house so felt there must be something I could give back.

“Other people obviously feel the same considering the huge response to this campaign.”

-off centres have now closed for donations and women’s and children’s items will be given to the some 600 refugee families already in Belfast, via the Northern Ireland refugee support organisation, NICRAS, with the bulk of donations en route to Calais.