Over £400 raised for Burma cyclone victims

Simon Danczuk hands over the money raised alongside Councillor Imtiaz Ahmed, Ghulam Shahzad, Cilla Baynes and John Beasley

A charity fundraiser to help the victims of the Burma cyclone disaster raised over £400. Organised by Rochdale’s former mayor, John Beasley, of Milkstone and Deeplish Labour Party, and held at Rochdale Labour Club, the event included an array of foods from across the world and speeches on the current situation in Burma.

Mr Beasley said: "Burma is run by one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world and it is shocking that the Burmese Government are trying to stop aid from the outside world get to the survivors of this disaster.

“I can promise that every penny raised from this event will go directly to help the people in Burma and won’t get held up in red tape or stuck on ships that can’t get access to the country.

“We are very disappointed that Burma’s brutal regime is hindering the international aid effort, which is why it is so important that we get funds through to the survivors as quickly as possible."

Rochdale's Labour Parliamentary candidate Simon Danczuk said: “The event was a real success, not only did we learn a lot about the situation in Burma, but we raised a lot of money and had a lovely evening, it’s a real credit to John and the team that brought it together.”