THE ALTONIAN Care and Alton Community Centre Ukraine donation point has received a mountain of items, with families, local groups and organisations, sheltered accommodation and local companies all rallying round to help.

The community centre has been constantly inundated, and as fast as things can be taken to the warehouse in Petersfield to be transported to Poland more have come in.

Altonian Care staff and volunteers have been sorting and packing and FedEx has offered a van to help transport them.

There have been donations of pallets from Travis Perkins in Petersfield and boxes from Alternative Packaging in Alton.

Every day the community centre minibus and cars take donations to Petersfield to meet the charity the centre is working with.

Items required are toiletries, nappies, sanitary products, pet food, baby milk and food, first aid and medical supplies and non-perishable foods.

The collection is being run by Hampshire’s Ukrainian community, with items sent to Portsmouth for sorting and shipping. A shipment of medication and first aid kits left on March 1.

Alton Town Council has ordered a Ukrainian flag to be raised above Alton Assembly Rooms once it arrives.

It is a further show of solidarity with Ukraine in its war against Russia following a two-minute silence at the community committee meeting on March 2.

Manor Colts Football Club in Alton is raising funds for the people of Ukraine by donating to the Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline charity based at the lavender farm in Selborne.

It is asking each player to donate £1 per match for the remainder of its games this month. The club will ask opposing teams if they would like to contribute, and will serve refreshments and have a raffle at its end of season prize giving to raise further money.

In usual times Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline looks after the many still sick children, families and communities affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 which affected Ukraine and Belarus.

Alongside trying to still get vital supplies into Ukraine it is helping evacuate families out of the country. It is a small charity run mainly by volunteers and every pound received helps.

To make a donation to Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline visit www.ccll.org.uk