CWUHA back to Bulgaria for the children

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An 18-strong British and Irish team of CWU Humanitarian Aid volunteers set off early this morning on their mission to help needy and vulnerable children in Bulgaria.

Nine lorries, supplied by charity sponsors BT, Royal Mail and their Irish counterparts Eirecom and AnPost and fully loaded with a range of essential items, queued up at the port of Dover to set sail for Calais on the first leg of their expedition, which is also fully supported by leading labour law firm Simpson Millar and of course by the CWU and CWU Ireland.

Local politician Clair Hawkins gave a speech to the team before they set sail, praising their endeavours and wishing them the very best, and representatives of the P&O Ferry company warmly welcomed the CWUHA, telling the group that they were delighted to have them on board.

The union's North West secretary Carl Webb - who's also the charity's national president - said that the team was "looking forward to the trip, in which we'll also revisit the venue of the 2011 mission."

Back then, CWUHA donated several lorry-loads of items to a children's home just outside the capital Sofia, and two of the veterans' from that trip, Steve Fishwick and Chris Bennett, are leading the 2013 convoy.

"Steve and Chris are driving the front vehicle," explained Carl, "while me and Ted Stead, who's a CWU branch secretary from Rochdale, are going to be the tail-end Charlies."

0 Steve Fishwick and Chris Bennett give the thumbs up as they leave CWU HQ on their latest charitable mission for CWUHA.
In their day jobs, Steve and Chris work at CWU national HQ for the postal outdoor and indoor departments respectively, while fellow volunteer Mandy Davis works in the same building for solicitors Simpson Millar and will be driving one of the vehicles with her colleague from the company's Gateshead branch Alison Chatto.

CWU telecom members Josune Arzalluz and Letitia Albani-hawa will be in the second vehicle, followed by BT colleagues John Strachan and Phil Ward, while AnPost pair Declan O'Mara and Mariee Hynes will 'tailgate' Mandy and Alison.

Jim Ryan and Pat Lombard - both from Eirecom - and AnPost's Paul O'Neill and Trevor Thompson complete the Irish contingent, and Royal Mail's John Sones and retired member Ian Young will take the penultimate lorry - just ahead of Carl and Ted.

The donated items on the lorries range from computers to mattresses for the beds and other furnishings, including carpets, and of course all manner of clothes.

"We're also taking some fun items too," said Carl, "so there are a few toys and games within the cargo."

Team CWUHA will drive through at least five European nations and over 2,000-miles as they make their way through northern France, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Rumania on their way to their destination, which they plan to reach on Tuesday.

For more information visit CWU Humanitarian Aid. http://www.cwuha.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Charity begins at home

[DB1100]

And the return load will consist of as many duty free's as it is possible to cram on to the lorries,plus all the free gifts and anything else that isn't nailed down.Meanwhile in the U.K people are queuing up at food banks and wondering how they are going to heat their houses over winter.