Sunderland receives 10,000 face masks from partner city in China

A total of 10,000 masks and 400 pairs of goggles have now arrived on Wearside from Harbin in northern China.

The disposable non-surgical masks and goggles are suitable for indoor or outdoor work, or wearing on public transport.

They will be distributed to city partners, including the network of volunteer groups and community hubs who are continuing to support hundreds of people.

Sunderland and Harbin have had a Friendship Agreement since 2009 which has fostered a range of links between the two cities.

The offer of PPE was made by Mr Sun Zhe, Harbin’s Mayor in April, as the UK was facing the worst of the coronavirus outbreak, and was accepted by Sunderland City Council leader, Graeme Miller.Coun Miller visited Harbin last year to mark the tenth anniversary of the Friendship Agreement.He said: "Harbin too has suffered from Covid-19 and the offer of the masks and goggles was a generous civic gesture of friendship. It was a very welcome offer that we were happy to accept and I am now pleased to report that this consignment has arrived safely in Sunderland."Covid-19 has not gone away and we will find a positive use for this generous donation from our friends in Harbin."It’s a testament to the bonds and strengths that we have with Harbin that this offer was made. It shows our ties are strong and how, in times of international and national crisis, friendships and helping hands can stretch across continents and across the world.”

The PPE arrived in the UK this week and was safely delivered to Vantec Europe Limited’s facility at Hillthorn Business Park in Washington.

Mr Sun Zhe, Mayor of Harbin commented: "We were delighted to be able to offer this donation to our friends in Sunderland as we all do our very best to fight this global pandemic."We are very proud of the partnership we have with Sunderland, and the projects we have worked on together over the years, and are equally committed to providing whatever support we can between us as international partners at difficult and challenging times like this."

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