Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow waves off 5,000 'boxes of hope and love' headed for Ukraine

Volunteers are driving to the Polish-Ukarine border to help families. Each box contains medical supplies, toiletries, toys and other essential goods.

Children from local schools have even put in their own toys and heartfelt letters, penned in English and Ukraine, to youngsters over there.

The volunteers and boxes of goods were organised by local Leeds charity, Vulnerable Citizen Support boss Haydn Jessop after May Proctor and her daughters Katie Fieldhouse and Jane Proctor, of Leeds, came up with the idea of shoe boxes filled with goods.

"I thought about the Ukraine children and how they must be suffering so I started collecting one box and it soon escalated." Katie said

Haydn and fellow volunteer John Gibbons approached the Leeds Irish Centre's Business Men and Women's Charity Lunch fund to ask if they could provide one van to transport the boxes.

The charity in the end provided five vans and paid for the drivers' transport and accommodation costs, plus fuel.

Centre manager Tommy McLoughlin MBE said: "We feel so sorry for the Ukraine people that we obviously wanted to help. It's good to see the boxes - filled with necessary goods and packed with love and hope - going to help families."

Waving off the convoy was ex-Leeds Rhinos rugby league legend and MND campaigner Rob Burrow and his parents, Geoff and Irene.

Paying tribute to the efforts, Geoff said: "It's so reassuring to see the good work of good people. The Irish Centre is famed for its charitable efforts and the people spending their Easter helping the poor Ukrainian people have our support."

Once the convoy arrives at the border of Ukraine, it will leave four of the vans there so locals can use them to transport people to safety.

Tommy is appealing for empty shoe boxes. `We aim to do a further run when we get more shoe boxes filled. People can drop off empty or full shoe boxes at the centre.'