Local businesses in the communities of Abergavenny and Ebbw Vale have come together to donate toiletries and other items to help the people of Ukraine.

With the conflict in Ukraine leaving many people forced to flee the country as refugees, many have been left with few clothes and other belongings and are in desperate need of help in the form of donations of clothes, toiletries and other products.

Like many communities across the UK, the people of Abergavenny have decided to organise a collection to help those suffering following Russia’s invasion nearly three weeks ago.

Julian Edwards who runs Tasty Tatoes food stall in Cibi Walk helped organise the collection alongside friend Michael Haskell, who is Director at PME UK Ltd.

After asking Julian for help in assisting with logistics and donations for a truck leaving with supplies to help refuges in Poland, Julian reached out via social media to other businesses and individuals to helps collect items that could be donated.

Michael offered his transit vans to collect donations from Abergavenny and Ebbw Vale that would then be dropped off at FSEW facility in Cardiff on Thursday March 10 ready to leave for Poland.

From a small donation received on Sunday March 6, the idea grew to a full operation within 12 hours with Julian and Michael inundated with donations from people looking to help.

In the space of just 72 hours, 144 boxes full of toiletries and other items including tea, coffee and sugar, sanitary products, nappies had been collected, with all items donated coming to a worth of £25,000.

A number of local businesses including the Cod Father and Frydays Fish Bar, and supermarkets and shops such as Morrisions, Wilko, Tesco, Superdug and Poundland were just some of the many donations given from Abergavenny and Ebbw Vale.

Beaufort Community Hall and PME UK Ltd also collected items ready for donation.

Staff at PME even volunteered their services to help with packing and labelling items ready for the lorry pick-up on Thursday March 10, with Michael kindly offering the PME depot as a dispatch and sorting area.

Speaking to the Chronicle, Julian said: “We have really been blown away by the generosity of people and would like to thank the whole community for their efforts.

“In a short space of time, we managed to collect items totalling a worth of £25,000 which were packed on to the lorry on Thursday and arrived in Poland on the weekend ready to be distributed to people in desperate need of those items.

“It is fantastic to see these two communities come together in such a positive fashion and hopefully we can continue to help in anyway we can.”