A UKRAINE appeal has proved so successful that an urgent call has gone out for volunteer tradespeople to help open up a new storage and packing floor this weekend to keep items dry.

More volunteers are also needed to help organise, sort, pack and box much needed food, toiletries and medical supplies.

Ross-on-Wye for Ukraine is operating from KTS Craft Warehouse in the town’s Trenchard Street, after mum-of-three Katie Fowler provided a drop-off point at her family-owned business.

Katie has already been able to organise shipments out to Poland and into Ukraine itself, and the steady stream of donations has strengthened rapidly, resulting in a mammoth effort to sort and organise everything.

A new Facebook Page and website rossforukraine.co.uk has been launched to help get the message out to people about what items are needed most - requirements that change by the day.

And Katie said: “The response and kindness has been overwhelming, as is the task ahead. We’ve seen incredible generosity from the community.”

She and her volunteers are keen to receive more help and assistance at the unit, and Katie added: “There is so much to do. Organising everything so that it runs like clockwork is key now.

“The weather so far has been kind to us which is just down to luck. Everyone is helping outside at the moment, organising donations into boxes ready to ship.”

A spokesperson for the appeal added: “We’ve put a call out to tradespeople to help us make the upper floor of the premises into an area where all the sorting and processing of donated goods can happen.

“This will help mean the operation is sustainable whatever the weather.

“Bradfords builders merchants of Ross-on-Wye have very kindly agreed to supply all the materials we need to board out the upstairs area and reinstate where a staircase was, but we need people to do it.

“We’re desperately looking for tradespeople to rally to the call to help make this happen this weekend.

“If anyone can help, please contact us as soon as you can through Facebook or email [email protected].”

Katie told BBC Hereford and Worcester last week of the response to the appeal: “I actually haven’t got any words because it keeps coming and I didn’t think or expect it was going to be as big as it has been.

“There’s just been so many people that have donated already.

“It’s the only way we can help, we can’t go over there, we can’t help them any other way apart from to send them aid.

“The situation (in Ukraine) frightens me to death. It hits home and it scares me that these kids have to go through this type of thing.”

Katie has encouraged those wanting to donate goods to keep doing so, and says some of the currently most needed items are listed on the website and Facebook, both of which are updated daily. Clothes are not currently required.