Charity collecting for Ukraine after hearing wrestler's story

The appeal was launched after the trust heard the story of a Ukrainian wrestler

A trust set up in memory of a British wrestler is collecting supplies for Ukraine, after hearing about the plight of a Ukrainian wrestler's family.

The Jet Singh Trust was set up following the death of Wolverhampton-based Jatinder Singh Chatha and it was contacted by a fellow Olympic wrestler who is married to the Ukrainian.

She said her family were trapped in the country and forced to live in a bunker.

Trustee Nita Kaur said it was a "very personal" effort.

Mr Singh, who was known to friends and family as "Jet", died in 2016 and the trust was set up to encourage healthy living and do work for good causes.

Ms Kaur said his friend's wife was "obviously quite distressed and asked for a bit of help with donations".

She said the woman's family had "got nowhere to go, they can't escape anywhere".

Blankets and warm clothes are among the items donated

The appeal for supplies was made on Tuesday and the trust has since filled a hall with goods, which have been sorted through by volunteers.

Ms Kaur said a local transport company had supplied four vans and drivers to take the supplies over.

And on top of the donations, the trust has spent £6,000 from its own funds to buy dried food, clothes, sleeping bags and tents.

Volunteers have given up their time to sort through the donations

Volunteer Manny Singh Kang said he had offered his support because: "It is a helpless situation really and food is a basic necessity, and to keep warm, things we all take for granted."

Another volunteer said: "It's something quite small from us, just our day. Obviously we're never going to experience anything like that, that those people are having to go through, and so whatever we can do is just a positive."