A Barnsley businessman is organising collections to send to his family in Poland to help Ukrainian refugees.

Henryk Matysiek has set up collection points across Barnsley and Sheffield for people to drop off items to help Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion.

Mr Matysiek said: “We want the right things such as clothes, bedding, food, toys, even mattresses and beds because that’s what they’re short of.”

“Anything that you think may help people who have nothing.”

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The 59-year-old was born in the UK and wants to help his family in Poland to support Ukrainian refugees in any way they can.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees have poured over the Polish border in the last few weeks, many of them children and babies.

Mr Matysiek has been appealing over social media for help with his collection: “It’s kind of snowballed a bit. I’ve got people to help me but we need a storage point because there might be quite a lot.”

This collection is the latest in South Yorkshire’s response to the Ukraine crisis which has seen people take to the streets in protest and organise charity campaigns in solidarity with the crisis.

The businessman was prepared to drive the collection over to Poland himself but with such a big response he has secured help to take the supplies across Europe.

He has high hopes for how far his campaign can go: “We are trying for more, how long is a piece of string, how far can we go.”

Sheffield residents can drop off donations at Subway in Parkway Retail Park from 8-8pm on Monday or at Wortley Private Club on Reading Room Lane.

Barnsley residents can leave their supplies at 23 Cutty Lane from 3-9pm.

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