People of the week doing so much for Ukraine

This week, however, we are featuring not one person but an entire company who have taken up the gauntlet to ensure the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have been forced to flee their homes.

Forth engineering in Flimby and Cleator Moor are best known as an engineering firm which has adapted to servicing the nuclear industry and, in conjunction with German partners, has designed innovative solutions to a huge range of issues including cameras to help explore the Arctic ocean.

This month, however, the family-owned firm has taken on another challenge.

They were approached by Polish Shop Dino in Maryport, who had set up a collection centre but had run out of room to store the massive number of items being donated.

Scott Telford, nephew of the company's founder, Mark, said the engineering firm had agreed to store things, but has gone several steps further.

With Nina Albertelli at the Cleator Moor branch, Forth has organised collections of its own and is trying to arrange transport to get the goods where they need to be.

Nina has also taken on the not inconsiderable task of sorting everything out.

Scott explained: "We have got a lot of clothing - too much to send. We are mainly concentrating on getting baby milk, dry foods, toiletries, head torches and first aid supplies - the things that we feel will be needed as a priority.

"We are grateful for the clothing, but any surplus will be donated to local charity shops."

He added: "The Cleator Moor branch, through Nina, has been trying to organise a couple of companies to get together to help sort everything out."

A spokeswoman for the Maryport Polish shop said Forth has made a huge difference and enabled more donations to be received. "Giving us storage has been so important," she said.