It has been a record year for the Rotary ‘Wrap Up Cardiff’ project which received over 1,500 warm, good quality coats, gilets and fleeces from the generous people of Cardiff, including Rhiwbina and neighbouring areas.
By mid November, all the coats had been checked, sorted and donated to recognised charities supporting the homeless and refugee communities in Cardiff.
This project was a joint effort supported by members from eight Rotary Clubs based in the Cardiff area.
Corporate partners Safestore UK gave Rotary free space to store the donations and supplied a cage in their reception area which allowed the public to donate directly to their depot on Newport Road.
The YMCA in Cardiff twice gave the use of their sports hall, which enabled Rotarian volunteers – including some from Rhiwbina – to divide the donations into separate piles for men, women and children before being packed for distribution.
The District Governor for Rotary in Southern Wales, Mary Adams, congratulated everyone involved and said the project shows Rotary at its very best.
All donations were delivered during November to the nominated organisations including The YMCA, The Huggard Centre; Northlands -The Salvation Army; Space4U; The Wallich; and Boomerang. This ensures that more than 1,500 people in need will have warm clothing as they face a difficult winter.
The message which came back from all the organisations was a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who donated.
The project has now closed for 2023 but we will be repeating in 2024. So, the organisers ask you not to throw away your coats, fleeces or gilets, but store them ready for next October.
You can find out more about ‘Wrap Up Cardiff’ here.
Caption: Rotary volunteers (including some living in Rhiwbina) sorting coats plus representatives from YMCA in the foreground receiving just two of the many bags of coats donated to them.
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