Neilston group aim to set up shop for Ukrainian refugees

There is an appeal for premises from a charity helping collect donations for people from Ukraine.

The East Renfrewshire group are looking for somewhere to set up a bank where people displaced by the war will be able to choose things like clothing and toiletries as they would in a shop.

They're also looking for baskets, shelving units and rails to be donated to make the experience for families as realistic as possible. It's hoped it'll give Ukrainian refugees some dignity and allow them to chose some new belongings for themselves.

Tracy Anne McVeigh, who runs Neilston for Ukraine Hub said: “We have so many donations and it’s currently costing £2300 per truck to ship them to Ukraine or Poland.

“We managed to ship our medical supplies last Friday from M&Ds to Poland and our male clothing, and our food donations all went yesterday to Ukraine itself.

“With what we've got left, which is a lot… it’s adult toiletries, baby toiletries, wipes, nappies, etc. clothing, toys - lots of toys… and now with refugees hopefully coming over to Scotland, rather than shipping anything else over, we want to start a shop whereby the people coming over can actually go and access what is there and pick for themselves.

“We had thought of doing starter packs and giving them boxes, but these people have been stripped of so much that the very least we can afford them as the dignity of choosing from themselves.

“So basically, what I'm looking for are premises that we can use 24/7. All our volunteers work full time. So, the time constraints we have on availability are high. We don't have time to set everything up and then a few hours later, dismantle everything to put away in cupboards so we're looking for people out there who maybe have shops laying empty, especially since over the pandemic. They've got halls laying empty that we can use. We also need rails, shelving units and baskets.

“I want people to be able to come in, pick up a basket, pick up what they need, go to the desk, have things folded for them and put into a bag. These are people who a month ago, were doing what we were doing. They were shopping for their own clothes in the shopping malls. They were going for a quick bite to eat with our kids after shopping. We’re trying to give them some sense of normality… we’re trying to give them some sort of dignity back and let them have the choice.”

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