The horrific bush fires in Australia are now a regular part of news bulletins in the UK. Thousands of people have already responded to appeals for financial help including popstars, Kylie Minogue and Pink, and actress, Nicole Kidman.

A fundraiser by comedian Celeste Barber for the NSW Fire Service raised more than 35m Australian dollars in just 48 hours.

Since July 2019, Red Cross teams have responded to the emergencies and have supported over 18,600 people.

Right now they are supporting thousands of people in evacuation centres and recovery hubs across Australia.

Their Register.Find.Reunite service, which reunifies people who have been separated in the bushfire emergency, has registered over 30,000 people and taken more than 5,000 enquires.

One member of the team at the Ross Gazette has family on holiday in Australia and they have reported seeing terrible heartbreaking scenes. They told the Gazette: “We have been planning this trip for a while and have had to change our itinerary due to the fires but that is nothing compared to what some people are going through. We just cannot imagine how it feels to lose everything. It is devastating to see and the atmosphere is so sombre.”HRH The Prince of Wales, who visited Ross recently, has recorded a message of support for Australia and also urges anyone who wishes to give to make donations through the Australian Red Cross.

To donate to the Australian Red Cross visit