A college community came together on Red Nose Day to help raise money for Comic Relief and a group helping disabled Ukrainian children fleeing war.
Hedleys College, which provides special education for young people with disabilities, and Hedleys Horizons held their Sports Day at Springfield Park in Forest Hall on Friday. The event featured a number of sporting and fundraising activities including a 60 mile challenge, a sponsored silence and a Sunderland fan wearing a Newcastle United shirt.
The money raised will be shared between Comic Relief and efforts to help families fleeing war in Ukraine.
Read more:Gateshead School donates over 90 boxes of supplies to help Ukrainian families
Gary Nelson, who helped organize the event with the support of the college management team, said: “Hedleys College has links with the Step by Step Association in Zamosc, Poland, which have run into a situation they never thought they would find themselves in. .
“They are only 60,000 from the Ukrainian border and support families with disabled children fleeing the conflict. They have opened their accommodation to house refugee families.
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
“All of this is voluntary and the organization covers the cost of food, housing, medical supplies, clothing and more for families who arrive with nothing. They do an absolutely amazing job.”
He said the event would help raise hundreds of pounds for both causes and people could still donate through a Facebook link here, set up by the Percy Hedley Foundation.
The CEO of Step by Step said: “Every day since this horror began, we have been supporting the families who are arriving – mainly mums with disabled children.
“We offer them temporary accommodation (we only have 30 places available at a time) and at the same time we work almost non-stop – we are looking for permanent accommodation for them, mainly in Poland.
“Providing these temporary places to families is expensive and we cover all these costs. We absolutely have to buy everything for those who arrive, they arrive without personal belongings and often without money to move them forward.
“We buy underwear, clothes, sanitary products, medicine, pay for petrol and translators, we also have a call center which I run – luckily many of us, including me, can also speak Russian and Ukrainian.”
