Organisers of an appeal which saw a landmark building in Newport flooded with donations for Ukraine have launched another desperate plea. They now urgently need more volunteers to take the remaining items over to the war-torn country because they're facing an imminent deadline to clear the premises.
The historic Westgate Hotel in the city's centre was filled by a mountain of goodwill gifts after photographer Kamila Jarczak put a shout out on social media several weeks ago through her community group Women of Newport. The once-derelict building, which became a cornerstone of the area's Chartist history, became so full with donations that the 80-strong team of organisers found themselves overwhelmed.
As a result they had to ask generous members the Welsh public to stop sending anymore items, other than much-needed medical equipment. Indeed, such was the amount of donations that Newport County’s football ground Rodney Parade and Friars Walk shopping precinct also stepped forward to provide extra storage for the campaign.
