WHITCHURCH Rotary Club has been helping make sure that children who are forced to leave their homes have basic supplies to keep them comfortable.

Members of the club have been assembling ‘Buddy Bags’, which are backpacks filled with toiletries, toys, clothes and other supplies for children dangerous situations and find themselves in emergency accommodation.

These Buddy Bags are passed on to the children, to make the transition into emergency care a little easier.

Last Tuesday, members of Whitchurch Rotary visited Sir John Talbot’s in the town, to assemble the Buddy Bags, with the help of pupils from the school.

Chairman of Whitchurch Rotary Club, Peggy Mullock, says funding the Buddy Bag Foundation is something the Rotary Club has done for some time.

“Whitchurch Rotary has been fund raising for over a year to enable us to carry this work on,” said Peggy.

“The backpacks are for different ages from babies to teenagers, boys and girls and contain toiletries, clothes, books and whatever the lady that started this scheme can lay her hands on.

“Here in Whitchurch, Brenda Ashley has been busy knitting over 150 teddies to put it each bag.

“The idea was started in Australia and Karen Williams, the lady who started this in England, was on holiday there and thought what a fantastic idea.

“She came back to Britain and went out to everyone she could think of to raise the money or get the goods, and this year has been nominated for Woman of the Year in England for her work.”