AFTER seeing the harrowing television coverage of the people of Aleppo fleeing the war-torn Syrian city, Susannah Stredder, landlady of The George pub in Alton, wanted to do something to help.

“The situation in Aleppo is heart-breaking,” she said. “People sleeping in the streets in freezing conditions with little or no food, families broken apart. You only have to watch the current news and Facebook newsfeed to see videos of what is going on out there.”

At first she didn’t know what help she could give but then was inspired by a ‘Don’t Hate, Donate’ campaign during a rally in Portsmouth organised by Chantelle Burton.

“At first I thought I could encourage people to donate directly to the Portsmouth appeal, but then I realised a lot of people wouldn’t be able to get to Portsmouth so I decided to set up a drop-off point at The George.”

She launched her appeal two weeks before Christmas on social media and by e-mail and posters in the pub and the response has been “amazing”, so much so that by Christmas Eve most of the rooms in her flat upstairs were filled with warm clothes for men, women and children, cooking utensils, sanitary products, medical supplies, blankets, sleeping bags, tents and even wheelchairs and crutches for the injured and disabled of Aleppo.

Already the Portsmouth appeal has raised 26 tonnes of aid for Aleppo and although Susannah, who has co-owned the pub for more than four years with husband Jason, may not reach such a high target her collection will certainly make a big contribution.

“People have been very generous,” she said, “and I will keep my drop-off appeal going until January 8 then everything will be bagged up and I will take it to Portsmouth.”

There it will be loaded into a container, along with collections from the Don’t’ Hate, Donate appeal in Portsmouth, and taken straight to the outlying villages around the ruined city where the refugees have fled.