Park home community rallies to support families affected by St Vincent volcano eruption by donating dozens of their belongings

Books, clothes and more were piled high in the communal hall of Wickham Court, thanks to the kindness of residents living in the park home community at North Boarhunt.

The generous group collected up scores of their own belongings in response to an appeal from the Royal Naval Association, which is sending supplies over to a relief effort in St Vincent.

The Caribbean island has been devastated by after the La Soufrière volcano erupted for the first time in more than 40 years.

Homes were wiped out and families lost everything, with more than 16,000 people displaced by the natural disaster and in need of urgent support.

Rob Rowe a resident at Wickham Court, rallied his neighbours to do their bit in support of the people affected by the event.

Rob, who has visited St Vincent on cruise holidays in the past, said: ‘It’s what we do here at Wickham Court. We saw the appeal in The News, I put out a call to our residents and this is the response.

‘If we can help others we will. St Vincent is a lovely place and the volcano has devastated most parts of the island and made many homeless and this small collection of goods will help them just a little.’

Rob and his wife Marilyn put together shoeboxes filled with medical supplies and toiletries, and the pair were over the moon to see how their community got on board.

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This appeal followed a charitable effort in 2020, which saw the Wickham Court community collect items for The You Trust to give to children for Christmas.

Rob, who moved to Wickham Court from Cosham, said: ‘I thought this would be another opportunity to do something. It was magnificent really. When I went up to our hall it was just stacked out.

‘I feel sure that these people who have lost everything will make do in some way with what we gave them.

‘I can’t think of anybody here we don’t get on with, we have got a nice community.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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