First topic message reminder :

Tomorrow we will visit our new project 'Glavinitza Teenage Disability Home' I am not looking forward to this visit as the living conditions are not in a good state but once we have looked around everywhere we will be able to judge what support we can offer.and I will need your help and support too please. Berni &
Dougie xx

Here we have our first 4 pallets of 2014 ready to go to PC Howard Ltd for storage until March when the lorry will be going to Silistra 5 months earlier this year. We need to get everything ready by March including the stuff for the Garden Party ie raffles, tombola, stalls and raise the transport funds phew!!! I did not give myself a lot of time eh!!

As you know I am trying to fit 12 month work into 4 months this year and we are off to a great start now. We have 2 more pallets packed and gone to storage - Dougie and I have been so busy washing, sorting packing labeling and palleting for the past month or so - We are getting there although we need lots more, I am sure we will achieve our goal. I have agreed to help two more organizations so will make sure we have several boxes for them too. We are very lucky as I also have Ikea on board this trip and they will help with a few pallets of returned goods (all checked and ok) A friend put me in contact and we were invited to the warehouse to see what they can offer us photo below 20 chairs 18 desks table lamps for all the rooms, cutlery sets and crockery for every person 60 x 2 he said to allow for breakages, some material some mats - the essential basics to get us started. I am sure there will be lots more, I just can't remember everything. Now I need to find the big stuff like beds, fridge, freezer, cooker but that will all come in due course. The other news is I need to have these items stored until we we sort and get to Glavinitza ourselves. so I asked the Governor of Silistra for help with storage - Low and behold she said they would start looking and i got another message to say she has somewhere in mind but needs to know the volume so looks like they are prepared to help there fab eh!!!!

Here are our own two more pallets gone to storage



Ikea stuff

Urgent call now: OUR TIME IS RUNNING OUT 7 WEEKS LEFT

Hi Guys Call in all our friends and supporters in Peterborough and Bulgaria Berni &
Dougie here from the Bulgarian Orphanage Appeal. We need your help please with items for one of our new projects. The Teenage Disability Centre we have only 7 weeks to fill a lorry with good clean clothing, good shoes, linen, towels, toiletries any unwanted xmas presents, tinned or dried foods, working sewing machines, materials, threads, accessories wool. Soft toys, complete jigsaws, etc. Basically they need everything so anything you think will benefit the teenagers. Any shoebox items you may have would be greatly appreciated too. Also some people are doing a shop on line stores own brands and sending them to Peterborough address. They are in desperate need and we cannot do this alone so if you can help us please could you message me Thank you a million times over for your continual support you are just fantastic!!!

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hi oddball and co
if you need someone to drive the wagon to Bg please call me and if I can drop everything I will I have a small amount of experience with disabled kids, as I ran a hygiene company here at home on the Isle Of Man, also one of my sisters was a cook over here when I was a kid and had a flat on the estate where disabled kids lived so when we stayed the only way we could use the swimming pool we had to take a kid each in the pool and this is what we did during our spare time after school but that was 37 years, back to the present again if I can help I will, as a short note I do not offer unless I think I can help

paddy wrote:

hi oddball and co
if you need someone to drive the wagon to Bg please call me and if I can drop everything I will I have a small amount of experience with disabled kids, as I ran a hygiene company here at home on the Isle Of Man, also one of my sisters was a cook over here when I was a kid and had a flat on the estate where disabled kids lived so when we stayed the only way we could use the swimming pool we had to take a kid each in the pool and this is what we did during our spare time after school but that was 37 years, back to the present again if I can help I will, as a short note I do not offer unless I think I can help

Ah bless you Paddy you are a little star!!! :Thank you:so much for your wonderful offer - However, on our main trip every year we have been using a company called Delamode Plc for 4 years now and they are brilliant! They always charge us the same amount regardless even if we go over the 20 cub mts. They also help us with free delivery to Sofie when we have something special to move and we have another company in Sofia NTZ Logistics who deliver the goods to Silistra. So once again thank you for your offer. However, if we are offered any items from the Isle of Man I know who to call Popovo is not that far from Silistra either so you never know if you have items you can bright them with you to the Garden Party on 6th Sept Hint hint!!!

hi i will start making plans for September, please give me an idea of what you need and what would be classed as passable, as i own a recycling company over here and get all sorts. without being mean i will be sorting my house out or at the very least attempting to do it. again should have some space on my tralier or van if you need it and will make the effort to visit for the party.

paddy wrote:

hi i will start making plans for September, please give me an idea of what you need and what would be classed as passable, as i own a recycling company over here and get all sorts. without being mean i will be sorting my house out or at the very least attempting to do it. again should have some space on my tralier or van if you need it and will make the effort to visit for the party.

Paddy you are fab!!!! Below is the Glavinitiza link, it outlines what we need mostly thinks like good clean linen, towels, toiletries, garden tools, working sewing machines, right up to fridge, freezers etc so anything you may come across that you cannot used would be greatly appreciated please. I will work on the government for the big things like cooker, all new beds flooring etc - but not sure how far I WILL get with them however, I will try. Hope to see you both in Sept we also have a hotel offering good rates around £35 a night with breakfast and evening meal - 30 of us stayed there last year it was fab!!! If you are interested let me know. :Thank you:AGAIN for your support..

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These are the things that are urgently needed:

1. Clothes – trousers, track suits, T-shirts, jumpers, jackets, shirts. Underwear, hats, scarves, gloves, socks etc.

You will see in the photos that the young men and women are poorly dressed. Not having sufficient quantity of clothes is a big problem for the principal and staff members because when the youngsters are in a mental crisis they tear/ rip their clothes.

2. Shoes – For girls – from size 35 to 39;
for boys from size 40 to 45.

Their shoes were in very bad condition.

3. Food – They will not refuse anything but they need oil, sugar, flour, beans, pasta and lentil. Basically anything that can be stored and last for long periods of time. The budget is not big and they rarely buy them fruit and vegetables during the winter.

4. Furniture Beds, mattresses, wardrobes, chest of drawers, cabinets, lamps, tv, computers, chairs, sewing machines, kitchen items, kettles, pots &
pans, cutlery. toaster, fridge, freezer, washing machine, cooker, settees, sofas, flooring cover, carpet or laminate flooring, mats, cushions, blinds, curtains, new pillows, bed linen, protective mattress covers duvet quilts and covers, blankets, sheets all form of bed linen, towels, table cloths etc the list goes on. Thank you

5. Paint, and decorating equipment, latex – The bedrooms are in a terrible condition. It would be great if they are donated cans of paints, brushes, rollers etc etc.

These youngsters just love to receive visitors even though they have nothing to be happy about they were delighted to see our volunteers and us on our visits. My friend summed it up in one sentence ‘They are isolated prisoners of their unfortunate faith’.

Our biggest problem as always is the transport we pay for the transport and as you can imagine there is only so much we can take and these items have to be the necessities...

If you can help with anything please do get in touch. Thank you so much

wow the list is huge


if wages are low and cost of living is low, could I raise money to cover buying equipment in Bulgaria or does the country not have the equipment available their the reason I ask these questions is if they are cheaper to buy near the point of need we would save of shipping from one of the dearest countries in the EU, like I said I could be wrong and I would welcome being corrected. also perhaps if some of the items you require were say to come from China they could be off loaded in Grease or Turkey always open to ideas as you said your coving the cost of shipping yourselves so your only shipping what's needed, I am always willing to help, and will do my best.

how big of a freezer and or fridge are you looking for?

thanks Oddball, will take that and think about it,

question how big is the home and could it have a new extention and at a later date pull down whats left, again building materials could be sourced from the local area.
again another idea, maybe a group of people with a bit of knowledge of plumbing, joinery and building etc and maybe team up with Admin and his re-act which again i think is a good course, we could kill to birds so too speak, we would learn the kids a trade and then try and open a small trade school, we get the extentions and the kids get the experience, i am not talking of getting these kids in for free and this is something we or you would need to talk to Admin about but i think it is worth doing, perhaps i am sure their will be someone with some empty houses that the kids could live in? again just an idea.

fridge and freezer we could do with someone on the ground to get costs as i am not an accountant but if its cheaper in the UK but cost £50. to ship but BG is say £20. dearer then we still save £30. but if its £60. more then its worth doing.

can get so far hi vis med thermal tee shirts from Manchester and i have a small amount maybe 50/60 first aid travel packs.

paddy wrote:

thanks Oddball, will take that and think about it,

question how big is the home and could it have a new extention and at a later date pull down whats left, again building materials could be sourced from the local area.
again another idea, maybe a group of people with a bit of knowledge of plumbing, joinery and building etc and maybe team up with Admin and his re-act which again i think is a good course, we could kill to birds so too speak, we would learn the kids a trade and then try and open a small trade school, we get the extentions and the kids get the experience, i am not talking of getting these kids in for free and this is something we or you would need to talk to Admin about but i think it is worth doing, perhaps i am sure their will be someone with some empty houses that the kids could live in? again just an idea.

fridge and freezer we could do with someone on the ground to get costs as i am not an accountant but if its cheaper in the UK but cost £50. to ship but BG is say £20. dearer then we still save £30. but if its £60. more then its worth doing.

can get so far hi vis med thermal tee shirts from Manchester and i have a small amount maybe 50/60 first aid travel packs.

Yep I can see your enthusiasm here Paddy and it is greatly appreciated indeed - This Teenage Disability Centre is also a training school, however, I don't understand how they can do the training without the tools. What we have to remember that these youngsters are wards of the state and as such will most likely stay in institutions for their lifetime. The youngsters that are physically able to do tasks unsupervised will also be mentally challenged in comprehending life skills outside of the home, so it is unlikely that superiors would consider letting them live in various houses, not to mentions the costs involved. Maybe in years to come they may go down these line, but BG has a long long way to catch up with the rest of the world. When you refer to Admin I assume you mean the Municipality?

I am currently writing to companies and colleges etc in search that they may donate some up to date computers, with flat screens, and also sewing machines if so, we can get the children active in lessons. We have a friend who will donate some garden tools and we can get seeds etc. I don't want to make things too easy for the Municipality either, they have to take the main responsibility. I have and will make it perfectly clear we are here to help but will not under any circumstances give them money. They tell me the centre already have teachers than this is good if they have not that will have to push for them too.

Re the buildings: We have to wait until we find out if the Municipality will give them a newer building or make do with the one they have but as far as I would be concerned we would be throwing money/materials away trying to do anything with the existing buildings.

Thank you for what you have collected already Hi vis garments will be great I can't wait to see their reaction to them

i totally agree with you, i was refering to Admin on "
ourbugariaforum"
and re-act something he is promoting on the site, and i also mean't the teenages from the orphanage's i don't think that it would be safe for the disabled people or the community as whole to leave them by themselves in a house without support.
training is the way to go with the orphanage kids. don't get me wrong i like some of the disabled kids that i have dealt with over the years but what i hated was the government giving the instution a budget and the kids wearing the best of the best as all i seen was resentment from the "
normal"
kids that could not afford them and over here they would steel the disabled kids coats or boots, ok not often but enough times.

maybe it's a route to look at if the state is willing to pay for the running of an orphange maybe work on that as the state of play at the moment looks like goverment has just dumped the kids in a home and walked away, there are plenty of schools that are empty and cheep to buy with land and the mayor of the village might welcome this again worth the question.

money your right again, if the goverment sees an easy route i am sure they will take it. at the end of the day your the one who has the knowledge in this not me mines business related but i am sure if the 2 heads were banged together i am sure we would either have an even better idea or a headache.

oddball wrote:

Urgent call now: OUR TIME IS RUNNING OUT 7 WEEKS LEFT

Hi Guys Call in all our friends and supporters in Peterborough and Bulgaria Berni &
Dougie here from the Bulgarian Orphanage Appeal. We need your help please with items for one of our new projects. The Teenage Disability Centre we have only 7 weeks to fill a lorry with good clean clothing, good shoes, linen, towels, toiletries any unwanted xmas presents, tinned or dried foods, working sewing machines, materials, threads, accessories wool. Soft toys, complete jigsaws, etc. Basically they need everything so anything you think will benefit the teenagers. Any shoebox items you may have would be greatly appreciated too. Also some people are doing a shop on line stores own brands and sending them to Peterborough address. They are in desperate need and we cannot do this alone so if you can help us please could you message me Thank you a million times over for your continual support you are just fantastic!!!

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Thanks again Paddy We will take more in dept when we meet. meanwhile lets get back to on topic

We are really please we have a start on the sewing machines. Dougie and I bought the first one from Ebay and our community members donated the second one and we bought the third one from ebay with funds donated from the sale of a bike, which we could not use







So as you see off to a great start only need 7 more to make our sewing room

Just finished unloading the 1st truck load from Bon Marine Shipping Agency in Varna they delivered all sorts of goods, beds, wardrobe, desks, clothes shoes, toys etc see the facebook below for more photos Thank you so much to the MD Emil Kimkamjoseph and all your employees for your support th the Glavinitiza project. Yu did great!!!