THE George pub in Alton has put out an appeal to support a final push to help people caught up in the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Spearheading the campaign, landlady Susannah Stredder has officially set up a Facebook group called Alton Aid which, to date, has sent two containers full of relief aid to Syria via the Portsmouth charity Don’t Hate, Donate.

Now the pub is pushing to send a third and final container under the Alton Aid banner around the end of May or beginning of June.

Susannah said: “The situation in Syria is heartbreaking. Innocent civilians are being caught up in the terror, many being torn from their friends and families. Hospitals are being bombed, buses carrying evacuees are being bombed and areas where civilians have fled to are being targeted. Nowhere is safe.

“Innocent children, the foundation of Syria’s future, are experiencing situations that are beyond our understanding. We need to help them as much as we can.”

Alton Aid currently has three projects on the go – a mother-and-baby project aimed at collecting clothes and products for expectant and new mothers, as well as clothes and products for babies up to the age of three; an appeal for medical aid, including any non-prescription medicines and equipment, the deadline for which is May 30; and a call for shoeboxes packed and decorated with goods “to help a child smile”, which has an April 30 deadline.

The collection point for all three is The George pub.

The George is also planning a family fun day on Saturday, April 29, in aid of Home-Start WeyWater – an independent charity whose volunteers are trained to offer friendship and support to struggling parents with a least one child under the age of five helping, as a result, to prevent family crisis and breakdown. There will be a bouncy castle, stocks, giant space hoppers, tug-of-war, and stalls. There will be an opportunity to get involved with and to drop of donations for Alton Aid.

To help, e-mail [email protected].