BANKERS have thanked their customers and Solihull residents for generous donations of toiletries to send to those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
After hearing from a Polish family member about those who had fled the conflict, Sean Leckenby, manager at the Solihull branch of Handelsbanken, and his team put calls out to customers asking for donations of sanitary items.
Within two hours the first pieces were coming in then the donations snowballed until the room they had dedicated was filled with nappies, toilet rolls, baby wipes, nappy rash cream and sanitary products.
The bank team has been working with Sean’s family in Poland and the UK to organise vans to get as close to the border as possible so those crossing can get the things they need.
Donations were handed to the Solihull team from far and wide while they at work and even when they were at home.
Harpreet Jackson, account manager support at the Solihull branch, told The Observer her neighbours were knocking on the door with handfuls of items they wanted to donate.
She said: “As a local business, we have reached out to our customers for donations of goods, particularly sanitary items, and the response has been quite overwhelming.
“We would like to extend our thanks to the local community for their timely and generous donations.
“Many of us will not be impacted directly, but there might be members of the local community who are affected, be it directly or indirectly.
“Ultimately, we just want the goods to reach the areas that are being affected, and to help those in need.”
Since the start of the invasion more than two million Ukrainians have left their homes and loved ones as they seek sanctuary.
