CARING students from Buxton & Leek College have been moving mountains to help refugees from war-torn Syria.
Three teenagers studying for their BTECs in Media at the College’s Buxton campus have worked hard to shift mountains of donated clothing, sort it, bag it and get it ready for shipping from Buxton’s High Peak Refugee Support – co-ordinated by the Hummingbird Project shop in London Road – to the refugee camps in the Greek Islands, Turkey, Dunkirk and Calais.
Eight tonnes of aid have been shipped out from Buxton since October and students Charlie Norris, Charlotte Marsden and Louise Maynard-Singh have worked tirelessly to help the humanitarian effort. Project founder Pam Lake said: “We are in awe of these young people for being so hard-working and lovely. It’s really not a glamorous job sorting through our donations of clothing. We have had literally mountains of it to get through and it has had to be bagged up in rubble sacks, labelled and cable tied before we can ship it out to the refugee camps where it’s needed. Our helpers from Buxton & Leek College have done the job with smiles on their faces.”
The teenagers volunteered to help the Hummingbird Project as part of Buxton & Leek College’s enrichment programme which encourages them to get involved in community projects. And their fellow students have been helping out too with donations which they drop off at the College’s Devonshire Library. Ingrid Keith, Chaplaincy Co ordinator at Buxton & Leek College, said: “Thanks to student donations, we’ve been able to send off three boxes of hats, scarves and gloves as well as a box of baby items.
“We are now collecting sachets of baby food as we find that focusing on specific items helps to speed up packing and delivery.”
Buxton & Leek College are happy to receive any donations via the library desk or people can drop off items directly to the Hummingbird Project shop at 1 London Road any Monday, Friday or Saturday. Opening hours are noon until 4pm on weekdays and 11am until 3pm Saturdays.