A firm based near Petersfield has provided half a tonne of support for Ukrainians in a relief project that shows out of darkness cometh light.

Commercial and Industrial Lighting Solutions began a lighting donation programme last year to support communities, hospitals and refugee centres in Ukraine.

The South Harting firm donated around 500kgs of used LED fittings last October to a support charity which has distributed them to essential services in the frequently-bombed areas of Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia.

The CILS scheme is led by Ukrainian team member, Khrystyna Kovalevska, who is in frequent contact with NGOs in her homeland.

Help is frequently needed as ongoing and often devastating Russian missile attacks have crippled Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving millions without reliable electricity.

The bombardment has caused both an economic and environmental crisis as schools, hospitals and public sector organisations are turning to costly and polluting diesel generators because of the intermittent supply.

The good news is that CILS is scaling up its operation with the next shipment earmarked for Khrystyna’s home town of Kropyvnytskyi, around 130 miles west of the major river city of Dnipro.

She said: “I am happy to be a part of this donation programme and help my country as much as I can.

“My company gives LED fittings a second life where they’re urgently needed and put circularity into action.

“It also encouraged us to do more as a responsible business and lay the groundwork for lasting partnerships with charities in the UK and Ukraine.”

The first batch of fittings were donated to the New Forest for Ukraine charity and distributed around the country by NGOs Iron Angels and House of Prayer.

Thousands more LEDs have been set aside for future donations with the next CILS shipment going to Save Ukrainians, a charity based in Khrystyna’s hometown.