A group of charities has come up with a sweet idea to make children smile.

Bradford organisations have gratefully been collecting food, medicine and blankets as part of the Keep Syria Warm appeal, but have now started a two-week campaign called Sweet Syria with the hopes of cheering up children living through the conflict there.

Osman Gondal, founder of the InTouch Foundation which is one of the groups involved, said a container of goods would be going to Syria on Saturday, February 1, but a section was being kept aside for the sweets.

“The whole idea is to bring a bit of a smile to children’s faces. Even if it’s just one sweet per child and we get 5,000 sweets – that’s 5,000 children,” he said.

“We know when looking at friends and families going into shops that buying sweets brings a smile to children’s faces.

“Their faces light up when dad says they can have a packet of sweets.”

The organisations did consider sending toys to Syria, but decided the treats would take up less room and so more children would benefit.

Tomorrow students at Carlton Bolling College, in Undercliffe Lane, will sort through 200 boxes of clothes donated as part of the Keep Syria Warm appeal.

Mr Gondal said: “There’s going to be about 50 kids helping out by sorting the clothes into summer and winter clothes and then helping to box items.

“We have literally thousands of bags full of clothes – that’s the level of support we’ve got over the last three or four weeks.

“The amount of support is phenomenal. It’s a good thing for the kids to get involved in.

“When I contacted the college I thought it was nice that rather than asking for money, the kids got involved by physically helping. It’s good for them to get involved in charity at this stage because you don’t know what it could lead to in the future.”

The Intouch Foundation, Islam Bradford and the Al Hikmah Centre, based in Keighley, are all part of the Sweet Syria appeal.

Donations, or cash to buy confectionary, can be dropped off at Islam Bradford at 86 Preston Street; Sharing Voices Bradford at Clifton house in Clifton Villas or the Al Hikmah Centre off Green Head Road in Keighley, by Friday, January 24.