We’re hearing of “phenomenal” support by the local community
Author: Ana Da SilvaPublished 2 hours ago
Last updated 2 hours ago
A representative from Worcester Warriors has branded the support from the community as “overwhelming”, after a lorry packed with aid donations from football club fans arrived in the Ukraine-Poland border over the weekend.
The first shipment contained 28 pallets of boxes filled with essential items.
Paul Bolton, from the Communications team at Sixways, says that initially they underestimated the amount of donations they would receive:
“We set up just two weeks ago as a donations centre. And we’ve just been absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that we’ve received from the people of Worcester and Worcestershire around. It’s been overwhelming and very humbling.
“We started off thinking we might fill industrial size wheelie bins when we opened, but those proved to be inadequate very quickly and we ended up having to open up two of our bars under the stand.
“We’ve had a team of volunteers coming in, working in shifts to sort out through the donations, put them into boxes and onto pallets and then we had our first lorry load went out last Monday, with 28 pallets in it.”
And donations haven’t stopped.
Thanks also to a group of around 70 volunteers, more aid is being sorted through and packaged to go on a second lorry later this week – as Paul explains:
“It’s a huge lorry and we’ve got so much stuff that we’ve already got enough to fill a second lorry which will go out this Thursday, to be transported to Poland where it will be distributed.
“And we’re already well on our way to filling a third lorry which we haven’t got a date for yet, but donations just keep flooding in, it’s phenomenal.”
Donations still being accepted
As donations continue to flood in, and the team prepares to arrange for a third lorry to head on to Poland, Paul Bolton told us they have plans to keep the donations centre running for as long as it’s needed.
“We are still getting a steady stream of of donations coming through and we’re two weeks in, but then again we will continue accepting donations as long as there’s a need.
“As long as there’s a need for items and people are generous enough to keep donating, we will take them and we will make sure that they get to the people that need them.
“There are people out there who have lost everything, and that’s been the overwhelming message from people over here. They sit and watch TV and they read the newspapers, and see those dreadful scenes and it’s really touched their hearts, and they want to help in some way.”
Donations of essential items can be brought to the Gauntlet Bar under the East Stand at Sixways.
The team there say they won’t be able to accept adult clothes, but new baby clothes are among the essential items required.
A full list of items in need can be found on the Worcester Warriors’ website.
