A CHARITY which normally helps people in dire straits overseas has donated £1,500 to victims of flooding in Somerset.

It is the first time the Piers Simon Appeal, which usually helps poor, vulnerable and disaster-affected children in developing countries, has given money to a UK project.

The £1,500 has gone to the Rotary District 1200 Flood Relief Appeal.

Piers Simon Appeal charity liaison officer Luke Simon said: “We’ve sent money to water-related disaster victims thousands of miles away in Thailand, Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh, so in some respects it feels strange to be helping UK victims only ten miles away from home.

“However, excessive water has one thing in common the world over, and that is to incapacitate the infrastructure of communities, and this is certainly true for those whose livelihoods are based on the Somerset Levels.”