Devon based project ugandabox, which supports a children’s crisis centre in Uganda is hosting a fundraising evening of food and music.

Great British Life: Some of the children playing with the toys that were donatedSome of the children playing with the toys that were donated (Image: Archant)

Set up this summer, ugandabox is a new project which involves sending vital supplies to one of the poorest communities in Uganda.

It has sent over 150 kilos of children’s clothing, blankets, medical supplies and toys totalling £900 donated by East Devon families to a children’s crisis centre called The Potter’s Village in an area of Uganda called Kisoro.

The community around Kisoro is very rural and there is high incidence of infant and maternal deaths, plus the highest level of malnutrition on the World Health Organisation’s priority list, and they depend on donations to keep the centre going.

Esther Apsey, ugandabox’s founder, holds close connections with The Potter’s Village through her aunt and uncle, Sue and Mike Hughes, who have been running the centre - as GP and Director - for nearly three years. Esther felt inspired to help after realising how many of the items that Sue and Mike were so desperate for at the centre could easily be donated by local communities here in Devon.

She wrote a request for donations using the social media platform Facebook and was overwhelmed by the response. All the clothes, shoes, blankets, baby bottles, reusable nappies and toys have been provided by families that no longer need them. They were all packed up and shipped over to Uganda, where they were welcomed by the children who can be seen in these photos wearing the clothes and playing with the toys.

There’s another 500 kilos of urgent supplies generously donated and ready to go. The project is also hoping to support the building of a kitchen at The Potter’s Village which will cost £4000, in order to help educate mothers about nutrition and how to feed their families.

To help continue to raise money and awareness for the project Esther has arranged for a fundraising evening on 10 October at Froginwell Vineyard in Woodbury, Salterton. With the help of local pop up Pickle Shack the event will be hosting a three course meal accompanied by local musician Sadie Horler’s acoustic set, with headlining band Malavita bringing Latin inspired funk, as well as DJ Jon Hossack bringing in the beats to end the night.

The evening starts at 7.30, and tickets are £35 per head, which includes fizz on arrival, as well as all the food, wine and music.

E-mail ugandabox@yahoo.co.uk for all details and to buy tickets, find them on Twitter or head to the Potter’s Village website.