Mail hands out SOS bags to city victims

Jul 24 2007 By Catherine Lillington and Will Oliphant, Birmingham Mail

THE Birmingham Mail was today distributing SOS-style goodie bags to city families whose homes have been flooded.

Generous local businesses answered a rallying call from the Mail to donate supplies to help cheer the victims up.

Several big-hearted businesses immediately responded giving tea, fruit juice, water, biscuits, savoury goods and chocolate for people who had to flee their homes when the River Cole burst its banks.

Waitrose, in Stratford Road, Hall Green, offered tea, biscuits and orange juice to people whose homes were affected, just a mile away in Percy Road and Forman's Road, Sparkhill.

Bournville-based Cadbury's came up trumps with plenty of chocolate and Sainsbury's, in Selly Oak, gave water.

Asian sweet centre Royal Sweets, in Ladypool Road, donated some boxes of savoury mix. The Birmingham Mail supplied coffee.

One flood victim, Dorinda Wren, aged 48, said: "It's fantastic. It's great for people to see that someone's looking out for us down here."

Christine Green, aged 46, said: "That's a really nice gesture."