Young people from the fire service family have come together to show their support for Ukraine.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) Fire Cadets and Prince’s Trust teams have spent hours sorting and packing boxes of clothing and other essential items.
Fire Cadets and instructors from all units have been busy collecting donations from family, friends, local businesses and the community. They’ve also been working alongside volunteers helping Southampton’s Polish Social Club sort through donations at the city’s old Toys R Us site.
Fire Cadet Manager Melanie Walker-O’Hare said:
“We are keen to do anything we can to help, and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated so far as we’ve been overwhelmed with the generosity shown.
We will continue to accept donations at all of our units and I’m extremely proud of all our Fire Cadets and instructors for their dedication and the hard work shown for this important cause.”
Meanwhile Prince’s Trust Team Southampton 57 spent time helping out at James Street Church in St Mary’s after the church received an overwhelming amount of donations for Ukraine. There were only a few church volunteers, so they were hugely grateful to have the extra support from the young people and to have all hands on deck to help with this mammoth task.
The team spent hours sorting, packing and labelling the various donations, from toiletries and nappies, to food and clothing and all the young people worked hard and felt proud to be doing their bit to help.
Prince’s Trust Assistant Team Leader Hannah Griffiths said:
“The young people did an amazing job. This was a successful and rewarding team challenge. A lorry was due to collect the donations so the church was under pressure to get everything packed up in time and we were delighted to be able to help.”