Sleaford Islamic Centre leaders overwhelmed by generousdonations for Afghan refugees

After putting out an appeal at 10pm on Saturday night, piles of donated clothes and toiletries were arriving within an hour of opening the prayer hall the next morning, says Safayth Hussain, who manages the centre’s Facebook site.

Safayth said they had already been discussing what action they could take within the muslim community when he put out the social media appeal for adult and baby clothes, nappies, toiletries and sanitary items for men, women and 64 children who had arrived in Scarborough.

He had not expected donations to come in so soon, instead imagining people would come the following weekend, but instead he had people turning up with armloads on Saturday. He said: “We had people queueing down Station Road with bags and bags of stuff.”

Some donations even had welcoming letters with them.

“We have put a stop to requests for clothes, jackets and shoes for now, but we are now looking for toys, toiletries and women’s health and sanitary products,” he said.

“They will go to families in Scarborough and Milton Keynes.”

They are also looking at creating shoeboxes of things to occupy the children, such as toys, crayons and drawing books.

Local authorities in Lincolnshire have said they initially expect to receive up to 14 families in the coming weeks and the centre will then direct its efforts for them.

People were also offering furniture, but Safayth said it is too soon for that as they will only be in temporary accommodation at first.

“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing. I work a normal day job and we are only at the centre at prayer times, but I have been arranging to collect from people’s houses if they cannot make it at weekends or evenings and my neighbour has been collecting at her shop, The Fabric Cupboard, in Millstream Square, too.”

He said: “We were not thinking we would have this much, this quickly. The people of Sleaford have been so helpful and considerate of others. There have been very few negative comments.

“These people are coming from abroad with no life to look forward to at the moment having had to leave in a hurry with nothing. Some children are being sent without their parents. It doesn’t matter what religion or where they have come from, they need our help.”

Safayth’s father, Nadim Aziz, has also been involved, as one of the leaders at the Islamic Centre, and thanked Sleaford people for their generosity.

He said: “Over the years we have supported many national and local charities and good causes - it is a case of whoever needs it.”

You can drop off your donations at the centre on Station Road this Friday between 2pm and 3pm and Saturday and Sunday between 11.30am and 12.30pm.

If you can help, message them via the Facebook page for Sleaford Islamic Centre.