YOUNGSTERS from Treetops School and Treetops Free School spent this morning loading goods for the first stage of a journey that will see it delivered to refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

Parents, carers and friends of the schools in Grays have been collecting a wide range of much-need items that will firstly be collected as part of the Ukrainian mercy mission being organised by the Morrisons store group and then sent onwards to the Polish border and possibly into Ukraine itself.

Free School head Anthony Hattam was on hand today (Thursday, 17 March) to help children load up the goods, together with Morrisons community champion Tarnya Bennet from the Grays store and Tom Flynn from the Prince's Trust – whose team have been collecting donations themselves recently in Grays.

Mr Hattam said: "We've asked the pupils, parents and friends of the Treetops community to collect items for Ukraine and we've got plenty to go. Thank you to everyone who has donated.

"Morrisons will help us get it to the people who are so desperately in need of it."