A GROUP in Rogerstone is using donations from residents to make a big difference to families in Romania.

The Goodwill shop in St John's Crescent, Rogerstone, is run by volunteers from the nearby Pentecostal church, uses donations of shoes, boots, clothes, toys and money to support charities in Romania to improve the lives of gipsy families in Oradea.

Mitch McEwan, 57, is a trustee at the church and has help run the shop since it opened 18 months ago, he said: "Gipsies are still treated very badly as they're not regarded as being worth anything."

The group supports two families in the area and drives out once a year to take donations.

Mr McEwan, of Church Street, Rogerstone, said when he has been on trips to the country to deliver the clothes, shoes and toys, he has seen families living in sheds built on a mud patch without any heating, electricity or water: "The motto of the shop is helping us to help others," he said.

Any money donated to the shop is sent to charities working in the country involved in a variety of projects, including building proper housing as well as medical centres and a church, and this year they hope to raise £10,000.

  • If you would like to donate good-quality clothing, footwear or toys to the shop, or make a cash donation, it is open 9.30am-4.30pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am-1.30pm on Saturdays.