ST LUKE’S Church, Milland, and St Luke’s Church, Linch, have sent a collection of clothes to Iraq for Samara’s Aid Appeal.

Items were donated to both churches, and volunteers last week sorted them into more than 100 banana boxes.

The boxes were then taken to a container in Worthing on Saturday, and they will now make their way to Iraq.

The Rev Trish Bancroft said: “This started as an idea from retired priest the Rev Bill Johnstone.

“He saw that Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad, had put out an appeal for clothing to go to northern Iraq.

“We decided to go for it and we opened St Luke’s Church, Linch, up as a collection point for Samara’s Aid Appeal. People also dropped stuff off at St Luke’s Church, Milland, and it was a joint benefice venture.”

Trish was delighted with the response the churches have had to their appeal.

She said: “We have been overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that people have given, and we are eternally grateful.

“We have been blown away by people’s generosity.

“There is lots of new stuff, as well as used stuff, and when I came in it was like manna from heaven.

“Sainsbury’s Liphook have been brilliant, and they donated the banana boxes to us and put a call out to their customers.

“I think everybody needed to do something and they have all rallied round.

“Most people want to help but don’t know how. This has caught the imagination and it shows that people do care.”