DOZENS of buggies have been bought for families detained in refugee camps following North Wales fundraising events.

The Leader reported in February how Buckley and Holywell-based charity Refugee Essentials North East Wales (RENEW) organised a coffee and cake fundraiser as well as two concerts in aid of the cause.

It came about after one of RENEW’S volunteers, Ann Crossland, revisited the Greek island of Leros to see for herself how the situation for refugees had changed there since her three previous visits at the height of the refugee crisis in 2015.

She said: "We aimed to raise £2,500. We have so far sent £1,500 to Echo100+, which is a charity that has been facilitating this donation for us on Leros.

"That has covered the first tranche of 36 buggies, but they bought 40 and we are going to pay them for the difference."

Mrs Crossland was inspired to help get buggies to the island after seeing a young woman walking along the roadside during her visit.

The woman was carrying a baby against her chest with her right arm, a bag of shopping in the crook of her left arm and held the hand of a small child with her left hand.

She said: "It is a four mile round trip and when I saw that young mum walking like that it struck me how very hard that is.

"When I came back I fed that back to all of the people I work with and it obviously resonated."

Leros is a small island with a population of around 10,000 - a similar population to Mold - and it accommodates around 1,000 refugees.

The first of the two concerts organised by RENEW took place in Treuddyn on March 9.

The second will be held at 7pm at Theatr Twm O'r Nant in Station Road, Denbigh, on Saturday (March 23).