GENEROUS students have rallied round to fill dozens of rucksacks full of warm essentials to help refugee children over the winter months.

Pupils from Millthorpe Academy in York have contributed items to the Lifebag Project over recent weeks, such as fleece blankets, winter woollies, antibacterial hand wash as well as small treats.

The collection was organised by Friends Helping Refugees, a local voluntary fundraising group, including two members of Millthorpe staff, who are now organising transportation to Greece.

Millthorpe business manager Alex Collins said the school council had helped to organise the collection, with 110 bags filled for girls and boys of different ages, thanks to contributions from all the year groups.

“They are going to Greek refugee camps, specifically for unaccompanied children,” he said.

“We got the children from the council together under the Christmas tree before the bags went.

“It was quite a moving sight really. It helped them identify with it.

“They all have bags they take to school each day; but to those [refugee] children that bag might be all they own in the world apart from their clothes.”

The project also won support from other community groups as well as St Paul’s Nursery.

It is not the first time Millthorpe students have lent their support to victims of the refugee crisis.

During the past academic year, Mr Collins said they had also worked with Friends Helping Refugees to collect enough provisions, such as clothes, toiletries and non-perishable goods, to fill a shipping container which were taken to Syria and Greece.