A CHARITY and a group of Taunton residents are working together to collect and deliver goods near the Polish-Ukrainian border to help all those in need during the conflict.

The Help for Ukraine Taunton group was set up by Polish residents living in Taunton who have families and friends living in their home country near the Ukrainian border.

They decided to collect items and goods to help people affected by the conflict under the instructions of their relatives and friends living near the border and therefore able to suggest what is needed.

The Compass Wellbeing charity was contacted by the group and asked if it could store the donations collected.

On Monday, February 28, the charity joined the initiative and is now helping the group of residents in collecting and delivering the donations received.

Michelle Edwards, operation manager at Compass Wellbeing, said: “Help for Ukraine Taunton was set up by Polish nationals living in Taunton who have friends and families living near the border with Ukraine. They can see directly what is going on and what is needed.

“Those who live in Taunton were looking for somewhere for people to bring their donations.

The most important thing here is to select the right things and people in Poland are telling us what is needed and we can target our donations.

“At the moment, for example, they don’t need clothes or food that cannot be eaten directly after being opened.

“What they need now is medical supplies, first aid kits, badgers, plasters, personal, hygiene supplies, and children supplies like nappies and creams, sleeping bags, power generators, power banks.

“We agreed to help out because we’ve got the space. We agreed immediately, we knew we had a room with some storage. We cleaned it, and it was ready to take donations.”

Taunton resident Dominika Chwiejczak and her sister Kinga Sidorczuk are part of the Help for Ukraine Taunton group and are now helping collect donations at Compass Wellbeing.

They said they are trying to get donations to specific places, not just the border, which could already be busy.

They added: “The idea is to get some supplies not to the border but to specific places like hotels and schools.

“We have quite a few drivers now, we have a few British drivers willing to help. They volunteered and just wanted to help.”

Two businesses based in Wellington, VPK Wellington and RH Fibreboard Containers, have donated cardboard boxes to help the cause.

Compass Wellbeing is receiving donations Monday to Friday from 9am to 5am at Belvedere Trading Estate, Taunton, TA1 1BH.

Anyone wishing to help can visit the charity’s and the resident group’s Facebook page to check what the most needed items are:
Help for Ukraine Taunton, https://www.facebook.com/groups/651689629468525 and Compass Wellbeing, https://www.facebook.com/compasswellbeingtaunton