The next collection of clothes, toiletries and other items by the local group Farnham Help for Refugees will take place at St Thomas-on-The Bourne church on Friday, October 4, from 3-7pm.

With winter approaching. the plight of those forced to leave their homes and find refuge in other countries becomes even more serious than it has been. Many arrive in foreign lands with few clothes and possessions and must rely on other people for basics which most of us take for granted – shelter, food, clothes, medicine, toiletries and so on.

Farnham Help for Refugees was set up by a small group of people in response to the dire needs of refugees, both those arriving to this country and those elsewhere in Europe and in the Middle East, and holds regular collections. They work with agencies supporting refugees directly so that they can ensure that they are asking for exactly what is needed.

Here is a list of what is needed at the moment:

Clothing
Warm coats for men, women and children
Adult jumpers, fleeces and hoodies (s,m,l)
Adult jeans, joggers, leggings (s,m,l)
Adult t-shirts (s,m,l)
Children’s winter clothes
Adult and children’s underwear (new only)
Thermal socks (new only)
Hats, scarves and gloves
Bras (new or as new)
Maternity wear

(Please note, all items should be new or as-new and clean please. No dirty or damaged items. No XL or XXL items. No shoes, trainers or boots. No duvets).

Other items
Sleeping bags

Baby items (all items must be unopened)
Nappies (disposable only)
Wipes and nappy cream
Vaseline and Sudocrem

Toiletries (all items must be unopened)
Shampoo
Razors (disposable only)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Soap and body wash
Roll-on deodorant
Wet wipes
Incontinence pants/pads
Sanitary towels (not tampons)
Washing powder and cleaning products

As it costs £6 per box to send the items, Farnham Help for Refugees welcomes cash donations on the day to help with shipping costs.

Please do not donate items not on the list as they will have to be recycled locally and cannot be sent to refugees.

Contact Farnham Help for Refugees by emailing farnhamhelpforrefugees@gmail.com  or via facebook: @farnhamhelpforrefugees

Picture by jeyeonwon from Pixabay