The future is bright for Shropshire Loves charity after new home found - with video

Volunteers at Shropshire Loves feared they would be forced to close down after the charity was told it had just four weeks to move after just a year in operation.

But is now celebrating after a new unit was found, in Stafford Park, Telford.

As a result the group was this week able to load and ship a container packed with medical supplies, food and children's clothing and bikes bound for war-torn Edlib, in Syria. The region was just days ago the target of a suspected chemical attack, which in turn sparked a political crisis between the West and Russia.

A delighted Lea Bevan, of Shropshire Loves, said: "We have been looking for another unit having being serviced notice from the previous one. We've found a new home which we're really pleased about.

"We'll be packing the container bound for Syria to help the people out there."

Previous projects have seen the charity send bikes to Syria and collect caravans for the so-called Calais refugee jungle.

In recent months Shropshire Loves has sent seven containers out to Syria, in partnership with another group, Muslim in Need, which has also sent out two further containers itself.

It is also supporting the Bras not Bombs project to deliver underwear in Greece for displaced people.

Less modest donated items are also sold in the warehouse to raise money for more suitable pieces that can be distributed.

The charity members are now busy attemptoing to clear piles of donated items ahead of the move to a new base.

Lea said: "The unit has always been up for rent so we knew that it could happen. But we have just been given notice, we have about four weeks before we need to leave.

"We have about 100 bikes collected for our project, 20 tonnes of clothes, retail stuff, craft stuff."

The group is also been distributing mobile phone sim cards in bulk to charitable organisations to give out as needed across the world to people who are in transit and need to be able to keep in contact with friends and family. Another organisation that they work with pays to keep the cards topped up with credit.

It also gives out clothes and support to homeless people and those in need in Shropshire and provides donations of food to Telford Food Bank.