A TEAM from a Kendal church is travelling to Romania for a second time to continue helping Ukrainian families fleeing from war.

Members of Gateway Church, led by Jonny Gios, have targeted a £3,500 total for their charity mission, which will see them spend a week, from May 29, at a community centre that the church is in partnership with.

The Perspectives centre, run by husband and wife Liviu and Elena Tudosie, tackles rural poverty in Danes, 9km from Sighisoara in the heart of Transylvania.

"After we visited last year, I was able to get them £51,000 from an international trust fund, and that got them a fully-functional minibus, a football pitch, and a children’s worker for a year," said Jonny.

The Westmorland Gazette: Liviu Tudosie works with needy families and young people at the centreLiviu Tudosie works with needy families and young people at the centre (Image: Jonny Gios)

"That's a good legacy for us but I thought we need to go back and encourage the team that works with these families week-in, week-out, and for our guys to experience how much our work matters.

"We're working with Romanian gypsy families, and also Ukrainian families that have come over the border."

The church has raised £1,400 so far and Jonny explained what the group from Kendal intends to do while at the centre.

He said: "We're running a football holiday club with some of the young people, and some different activities for the boys and girls.

The Westmorland Gazette: The Kendal team will organise a football tournament for local childrenThe Kendal team will organise a football tournament for local children (Image: Jonny Gios)

"We’re also doing programs with the widows' group, and we've got a Ukrainian family day that we’re going to cook for.

"Everything in Romania revolves around food – we're either cooking it, providing it, by taking food parcels to some of the gypsy villages that the charity has contact with.

"These families are the poorest of the poor, with wooden pallets as walls, and tarpaulin with a horse in the back room.

"Our accommodation and flights are already covered, so we want to be able to do these things and leave £2,000 for the centre.

"Ambleside football club also donated us three football kits.

"We’re trying to find a sponsor to post them, so they can be there when we arrive, which is £31 per box.

"The kits will put Ambleside on the map in central Romania - the two places might have a very similar rural context, but that's where it ends."

See the fundraising link here: www.stewardship.org.uk/pages/missiontoromania