Donations being gathered in Black Country to help people in Ukraine amid Russian invasion

Clothes, toiletries and other items are being dropped off in parts of Wolverhampton and Walsall as talks were under way in a bid to find peace.

Delegations from both countries met on Monday as the Ukrainian president's office called for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Meanwhile The Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain's branch in Wolverhampton said there had been "more donations" than initially expected.

Andrew Duda, chairman of the branch, said: "We're a drop off point for collections for the Ukrainians as and when we can.

"We're collecting items and also promoting the hashtag 'Help Ukraine' and urging people to donate through the GoFundMe page which has raised several hundreds of thousands already.

"There's been quite a few donations, more than I expected, and more to come. People have been asking where to donate and there's various organisations where you can."

Elsewhere, and Linda Sandhar-Haynes – who runs 4 Steps to a Smile in Walsall – has been putting together packs of items for those in Ukraine alongside volunteers.

Items donated to the charity usually remain there until a referral is made for a specific person to receive support, such as a domestic violence victim going into a refuge.

Linda said: "We have had lots of donations over the years and some are sat there waiting for referrals to come through. We have some toiletries – waiting to be donated – and I can't think of a better referral than what's going on right now in Ukraine. We think we can put quite a lot together."

4 Steps into a Smile will be collecting donations on Friday and Saturday and have encouraged anyone who wishes to donate to come along to the store, between 11pm to 2pm, in the Old Square Shopping Centre.

To donate to the fundraising campaign, visit gofundme.com/f/helpukraine