HUNDREDS turned out holding candles in Worcester for a poignant evening vigil for Ukraine.

Under the Knife Angel statue in Cathedral Square, residents gathered to show solidarity with the country, with the Ukrainian national anthem being played on the bagpipes.

The vigil was held on March 10 and also saw the Ukrainian flag flown over the city opposite the cathedral.

Candles were lit for Ukraine, with people attending encouraged to bring their own.

Support for the event came from all four political parties represented on Worcester City Council

A joint statement was issued from the council's four political group leaders, Conservative Cllr Marc Bayliss, Labour's Cllr Adrian Gregson, Green Cllr Louis Stephen, and Liberal Democrat Cllr Mel Allcott.

The statement said: "There can be no one in Worcester who is unmoved by the plight of Ukraine at this terrible time.

"Our city and county are home to a strong and proud Eastern European population and we know that they will stand with us when we say that our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine.

"Many refugees from this conflict will make their way to the UK under the Government's programme, and we look forward to welcoming some of them to Worcester."

Thursday's vigil follows earlier events in Worcester and Malvern last weekend.

In addition to public events, the people of Worcestershire have been donating large quantities of goods to help refugees fleeing the conflict.

In Upton, the town's baptist church is collecting donations and has raised more than £2,000 to help people in Ukraine.

With the help of its Polish friends, the church has linked with a camp in Poland welcoming refugees from Ukraine.

Camp Ostroda has the resources to host 180 refuges but needs more donations to enable them to buy food and essential medical supplies.

The camp already has 86 people, of whom most are unaccompanied children between 3 and 10 years old and around 20 adults.

An extra 40 children and then another 50 children are expected to arrive on separate buses in the future.