NEWS: Erdington’s Erin Go Bragh collect food, clothes, and medicine for people in war torn Ukraine

Words by Liam Smith

On Saturday, 5 March, Erdington’s Erin Go Bragh GAA will be hosting another of their regular food and clothes collections – this time to help support people in war torn Ukraine, during the ongoing Russian invasion.

People are invited to bring items to the Erin Go Bragh Sports and Social Centre on Holly Lane, Erdington, between 10am and 2pm on Saturday, 5 March.

The charitable collection, which was supporting people through the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, is looking for non perishable food items, over the counter medicines, first aid items, clothes, and blankets – which will be given to a group local Ukrainians, who are organising the overland transport of goods and support aid to their home country.

Erin Go Bragh GAA have posted on social media: “In light of the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine, we will again be collecting non-perishable food items, medicine and clothing to donate to a local group of Ukrainian workers who are arranging a lorry to send to their home country.”

They have also provided the following list of items in need: warm clothes, socks, warm blankets, high calorie food items (chocolates, biscuits, etc.), tinned and long-life food items, painkillers (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, etc.), any other medicine, plasters, bandages, burns kits, first aid kits.

Saturday’s special collection to help people in Ukraine was organised in the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion, which is seeing innocent civilians being subject to intense shelling and gunfire.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February, with initial airstrikes in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, and the Donbas – followed by Russian troops invading Ukraine from Belarus, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), and the annexed region of Crimea.

At the time of writing, the war in Ukraine has left over 9,000 people dead and displaced over 1million people as they flee in fear of their lives – according to Reuters.

Local Erdington residents are being encouraged to bring their donations along for collection to: Erin Go Bragh Sports and Social Centre, Holly Lane, Birmingham, B24 9LH

For more on Erin Go Bragh visit www.warwickshire.gaa.ie/clubs/erin-go-bragh