Donations pour in to help Afghan families arriving in Milton Keynes

Donations to help 28 Afghan families who have arrived in Milton Keynes have been pouring in following appeals on social media.

The refugees, who arrived in the UK with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, were being housed and fed in a hotel but desperately needed basics such as clothes, shoes and toys for the children.

The appeal was made Paul Trendall, Lib Dem Borough Councillor for the Campbell Park & Old Woughton ward.

According to posts on Facebook he was inundated with calls and emails and has now received so many donations that collections have been temporarily paused until a bigger sorting centre is found.

People are being told to keep an eye on social media for details of when collections will resume.

A spokesperson for Mr Trendall stated: "It will take days to get back to everyone, and in the meantime we are certain that with the stuff promised, and that scheduled for collection, we will need to pause collecting to process what is coming in.

"It may prove that we will have enough now for a while, and will review that during the course of the coming week."

People are being told to keep an eye on social media for collections to resume.

Items needed included:

Long tops and trousers (for women), Muslim clothing, closed shoes, children’s shoes sizes 4-8, Warm clothing, dolls and toys, books and games.

Annette Lorraine, who helped share the appeal said: "I think it's a brilliant idea and I wish we could fly man,y many more of these desperate families here and help them in any way we can."