One year on since the war broke out in Ukraine and the North Wales community has been credited for donating and providing nearly £3m worth of aid.
The Polish Integration Support Centre (PISC) CIC has been working hard over the past year to gather and send supplies to Ukraine with the help of the community.
It started off as a small appeal in Wrexham and now has sent 79 lorries filled with around £3m worth of aid to Ukraine over the past year, weighing 1,580 tonnes - and there are no plans to stop.
The next lorry, and the 80th to be sent, is due to go near the beginning of March, and will be filled with what is estimated to be worth around £50,000 worth of supplies.
The appeal, begun by PISC director Anna Buckley, started not long after the war first broke out.
Almost one year later, PISC has now grown and moved into a unit in Eagles Meadow, which they have been given rent-free and only need to contribute to utility bills like electric.
The move has benefited them by making them more accessible to people who want to donate and volunteer, or anyone passing by who is generally curious about the centre and what they do.
Around 3,000 people, including 15 who are Ukrainian, are volunteering for the centre and helping the support continue, and they are always open to more people joining in and helping in any way they can.
PISC also provides services for the Polish community in Wrexham, approximately 15,000 people, and has recently also sent aid to the Turkey/Syria border following the destructive earthquakes to have hit the area.
READ MORE:
- PISC Ukraine donations total a staggering amount after months of efforts
- WATCH: PISC's second humanitarian convoy now on its way to Ukrainian refugees
- Funding and volunteers needed to help Ukrainian refugees as donations flood in
PISC volunteers credit both Anna’s hard work and determination, and community generosity to the success of both the centre and the appeal, and particularly want to thank the community for the continued support.
PISC also impressed Minister of Social Justice Jane Hutt during a visit, and thank her for her support.
Anna is continuing to work on raising more awareness of the appeal. She said for many, there are food shortages and they only have electricity for two hours a day.
PISC is now sending medical supplies, PPE, wheelchairs, toys, clothing and anything else people need. Some of these donations have come from local businesses, including those on Eagles Meadow since the move, who are thanked, but the appeal remains ongoing and anyone can donate.
The money raised and donations made mean a lot to PISC, with Anna adding: “I would like to thank everyone because I know we’ve got the cost-of-living crisis."
She added: “I would like to ask people to carry on (donating) because it is amazing and it’s horrible when we complain about how our lives are, I would like to (remind people of) the people over there.”
PISC is looking for more funding, and if you cannot donate items their JustGiving page is open for cash donations.
If you wish to donate items, PISC is collecting: dry food, baby wipes, washing powder and liquid, crutches, wheelchairs, stationary, sleeping bags, batteries and torches, candles, “good condition “clothing for all ages and “sensible shoes”, along with sheets, towels and bedding.
Toys for children are also wanted.
If you want to volunteer, you can get in touch with PISC via telephone: 07523627826, email: piscwrexham@gmail.com, visit their website or pop into the office on Eagles Meadow.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here