widget/exchange-29
widget/exchange-30widget/exchange-33
widget/exchange-31

News / More drop-off points for refugee donations

Donations of supplies to help refugees have been flooding in to drop-off points at Bixter Hall and Burra Hall over the weekend. Shetland Solidarity with Refugees has now published details of several other drop-off points throughout the islands.

A GROUP set up in Shetland to provide help to refugees has helped create several more drop-off points for donations and is to launch a crowdfunding page to cover the cost of shipping supplies to Calais.

Shetland Solidarity with Refugees had a “fruitful” meeting on Monday during which members identified a clear purpose and focus for the group.

The group has acquired a storage facility in Lerwick where donated supplies can be processed, sorted and shipped.

Donations have been flooding in to Burra Hall and Bixter Hall over the weekend – including clothes, shoes, food, toiletries, tents, mats and blankets.

A host of businesses and other organisations have agreed to become collection points for donations: The Unst Partnership office (1 Hagdale); Cullivoe, Mid Yell and Burravoe schools; Hillswick Shop and Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary charity shop; Muckle Roe Hall (next week); Tagon Stores in Voe; Nimble Finger at the Toll Clock, Ninian on Commercial Street in Lerwick; the Bop Shop (12 September), and Dunrossness Primary School.

offset-carousel/post-mobile/0

Negotiations are taking place with shipping companies with a view to taking items to the refugee camp in Calais. 

Group spokeswoman Wendy Sinclair said any further assistance with shipping would be appreciated. Information on a crowdfunding page will be released once it has been set up.

The group is also holding an hour-long silent vigil at the Market Cross at noon on Saturday (12 September). Further details are available on the Shetland Sees Syria page.

For more information and updates, including more details about drop-off points, visit the Shetland Solidarity with Refugees group.

Anyone who can offer help is encouraged to contact Wendy on 07544 265753 or send a direct message to the group’s Facebook page.

SIC leader Gary Robinson said the refugee crisis was “focusing political thought across Europe, the UK and Scotland, and there’s obviously a critical role to be played by government at all levels to tackle the situation in a coordinated manner.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

“Shetland Islands Council, along with all Scotland’s local authorities, will play its part in that,” he said. “Providing accommodation is just one aspect of the response to this crisis and the provision of services necessary to support refugees will also need to be carefully planned and coordinated.

Robinson said the council was working with local authority umbrella body COSLA, the Scottish Government and other agencies “to identify resources and capacity, and we’ll be doing all we can to support the work of the task force which was announced by the First Minister”.

He added: “As ever, Shetlanders are doing what they can in the face of this unfolding humanitarian crisis, and I know I speak on behalf of the council in paying tribute to the volunteers who are working so hard to raise funds and collect essential items for the people caught up in this unprecedented situation.”

offset-carousel/post-mobile/1

Meanwhile, Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael has criticised Prime Minister David Cameron for failing to recognise the changing public mood towards welcoming asylum seekers. He wants the UK leader to convene a cross-party summit on the refugee crisis.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, Carmichael said he welcomed the “change in government policy in recent days and weeks”.

“The Prime Minister might no longer be describing refugees as a ‘swarm’, but there is still a lot that he could be doing to catch up with public opinion here,” the MP said.

“We should not be raiding our international development budget to pay for this, we should not be restricting our help to those who are currently in the country, and we should not be resisting efforts to build a common EU position.”

offset-carousel/post-mobile/2

He added: “The UK Government has done a lot of good work in helping refugees in the region, especially around Syria. I give them all credit for that. The fact is that they need to do more now. They need to respond to the thousands of people already in Europe.

“…this debate has been a poisonous one too often in the past. The Prime Minister has a chance now to build a consensus by involving all parties in the creation of policy that unites rather than divides our country.”

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Categories
widget/pd_widget-6widget/pd_widget-7widget/exchange-53widget/exchange-54widget/pd_widget-8widget/exchange-55widget/pd_widget-9widget/exchange-56

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.