You will have no doubt followed the story through the UK press but if this is new to you ... https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/19/grenfell-tower-fire-death-toll-rises-to-79-police-say

This campaign has been set up in conjunction with East Lothian Aid for Refugees (ELAR) as a way to help, and show support for, the families impacted by the Grenfell Tower fires. Though we are hundreds of miles away in Scotland we feel compelled to reach out and express both our sympathies and desire to help.

With that spirit East Lothian Aid for Refugees are making their donation infrastructure available to the public and are asking for anything that people can think of to help those affected rebuild both their lives and their homes. It has been clear from the news reports that the aid effort is disjointed and its effectiveness has been thrown into question. At the time of writing it seems plausible that anything physically donated via ELAR will be held for 1-2 months before being sent south so we would advise against perishables. Details can be found under Donations and Drop Offs at at ELAR's home page at http://www.elar.org.uk/home.html

The directors at ELAR and myself are also hoping to raise a small amount to be put to use for the long term well being of the families involved. Whether this takes the shape of the money being folded into a larger pot provided by other organisations or targeted to specific medical/welfare needs is as yet unclear. It is something we would hope to be able to clarify as the official support the families will receive unfolds.

These families are part of our wider UK community; we don't need to live next door to offer our help.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,
Darren Barber