Mayor Elisha McCallion welcomes public response to refugee petition
MAYOR of Derry City and Strabane District Council Elisha McCallion said she was “overwhelmed and delighted” at the generosity of the public in recent weeks.
The Sinn Fein councillor said: “We have managed to collect thousands of pounds in our street collections and through initiatives organised by local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce and the trade unions.
“We need to ensure that we’re taking a targeted approach to providing the appropriate type of aid where it’s needed and I know that we can make a huge difference with the support of the people of Derry and Strabane.
“In the coming weeks we will be introducing a series of initiatives. Following a special meeting this week it has been decided that one of these will be a special online petition which we hope to take to Downing Street in the coming weeks.
“I would encourage everyone to register their support via the petition hosted online at www.derrystrabane.com/mayor.
“We are also planning to begin our door to door collections to gather together items which may be of use in the camps. This will require volunteer support.
“Finally, I would really love to see people simply showing their solidarity with the refugees by supporting my ‘You Can Stay Here’ Campaign by keeping a candle lit for one hour every Friday between 8pm and 9pm and posting a picture to social media with the hashtags #UCanStayHere #FáilteRefugees.”
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