People's overwhelming compassion to help those fleeing Ukraine and incredible efforts to help can be seen all over the world, none more so than in Bridport.

I went to visit volunteers who are working hard to sort large numbers of donations at a unit in St Michael's Trading Estate, which was set up by local residents Claire Nuttall and Jane Wain.

The space was filled with clothes, baby items, blankets and even more that a small group were going through and putting into labelled boxes, making it easier for aid organisations to take over and disperse. Little, heartfelt notes from donators are found amongst the clothing, which brought tears to many eyes.

It was warming to see people had given so much, but saddening that it is necessary.

I was able to talk to Valentyna, who is from Ukraine but has been living in Bridport for three years. Her sister, mother, son and daughter in law are all in Ukraine.

She visited family and friends over there just before war started, coming back to England on February 19, with the invasion starting just a few days later on February 23.

She said: "It was very bad information all the time in Ukraine, on the TV, saying, 'maybe it starts tomorrow?', and I was worried as I've left all my family and I left them all the money I had.

"On the Wednesday [when the war started], my friend left me a message saying, 'it is war'. It was very awful. All the people left home and were driving west."

Valentyna said that so many people didn't have time to pick up clothes before leaving their homes and some had to leave their cars as there were queues into the petrol stations.

Her son and daughter in law are currently staying in Lviv with friends of friends who have been able to put them up in a room. However, her daughter in law suffers from diabetes and became very unwell, having to go to hospital, with her son having to visit numerous pharmacies to find medicine as she now has to regularly take insulin.

Valentyna's mother and sister live in Kharkiv and have recently left to stay in a village around 20 miles from the city.

She said: "I call every day, I call my sister, I call my son, my daughter in law's mother and I call my friends."

She also has a niece in Moscow who is really struggling.

Valentyna added: "She is always crying, she tells me she hates Russia and wants to go back to Ukraine. Some of her friends don't want to speak to her, she had a very close friend and now they don't speak because they are thinking differently."

Valentyna remembers her home fondly and when she couldn't visit during lockdown, she would look online at photos of the country.

"It is a beautiful country," she said, "green spaces and parks.

"Now I see my university without windows, without anything because they have bombed it."

She was humbled by all the help people were offering and thanked all the volunteers for what they are doing and suggested that more could be sent to help the army, such as warm clothes, and for animals and children.

Jane and Claire started Bridport donations after thinking, 'what can we do?' and feeling at a loss.

Jane, who runs Bridport Music Centre, said: "Because I have the shop, I said people could donate at Bridport Music and the first morning at the shop it was full, it just kept coming, so Claire said donations could go to her studio.

Claire said: "By 4pm I was panicking, I was swamped - we were so overwhelmed on the first day.

"I have a studio here [St Michael's Tower Studios] and my landlord was aware of all the cars pulling up, saw the activity and then he rang me and said they would like to do their bit and gave me a unit, so we got the keys two weeks ago today and it has not stopped."

Jane added: "It's been coming thick and fast and so many people have done exactly what we did and realised they can't cope."

On their first trip to deliver items to the donation point in Bournemouth, they saw that the donations are no good to them not sorted into labelled boxes so the pair decided not to send anything they haven't asked for and "if it's not good enough for you, it's not good enough for them".

They have even been donated flip flops, sandals, bikinis and odd shoes.

Claire added: "We have found a home for nearly everything. If it's really good quality but just not suitable, we're going to jumble sale it, if it's filthy, dirty or ripped, we're sending it to the rag man, he buys it per kilo and the only think he won't take are things with a microfibre filling like duvets or pillows. The duvets we've donated to Margaret Green's Animal Sanctuary in return for her best blankets. The only thing going to landfill are stained pillows - nice pillows we're selling - and really old shoes."

Now they are also asking for warm clothing for soldiers - warm socks, warm thermals and trousers that can be layered, rather than jeans that take a long time to dry and can be tight and heavy.

Bridport Round Table has also kindly donated 1,000 foil blankets.

Volunteers are welcome to come and help, or even just drop off a cake and treats to keep the others going.

Donations are being accepted at Unit 34, St Michael's Trading Estate, behind Burwoods. It is open from 10am every weekday.

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below!

You can submit your own news straight to Bridport Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page. This can also be done for events on our What's On page and businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page , also by using the 'Nub It' button.

Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us @BridportNubNews on Facebook and Twitter.