Kind-hearted Mancunians have been thanked for their generosity after a refugee charity received a wave of donations for those fleeing Afghanistan.
The first evacuation flight arrived in the UK on Sunday, with the second touching down late on Tuesday night, and another landing early on Wednesday morning.
Some of those rescued could initially be housed in hotels near Manchester Airport, according to reports.
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The charity Care 4 Calais last night issued an urgent appeal for donations of men's clothes in particular but also other items such as shoes, basic toiletries, stationery, and phone chargers.
And they said they have since received dozens and dozens of bags and boxes of donations which were delivered throughout the day from people across the city region at one of their numerous drop-off points, one of which is at Beetham Tower.
They are also accepting monetary donations, and have surpassed their initial £30,000 target for the 'Afghan Welcome Packs' from which has now been increased to £40,000.
And the charity has thanked the public in Manchester for their generosity.
Founder Clare Moseley, who set up the charity in 2015, said: "It's just been fantastic.
"I'm a Northerner myself and we're really proud of Manchester for responding in this way.
"We've had numerous locations accepting donations for us and I believe they are pretty full.
"We have had people bringing car loads and van loads of stuff.
"So it's just been fantastic."
The charity had now been offered large storage space in the city where donations could be taken and examined before eventually before distributed by volunteers who regularly work with refugees
"I think the north is always welcoming and it's just fantastic to see communities coming together like this" Clare added.
"The images we've seen in the media and on social media are just awful"
"Sometimes I don't think the public always fully understands why people are driven to fleeing their home country.
"However these images have really brought it home."
The government has announced plans to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Afghans – particularly women and girls – with 5,000 arriving in the first 12 months.
The plan has however drawn criticism from some MPs it wasn't generous enough,.
In a parliamentary debate on the issue today Labour MP Chris Bryant said: "“What are the 15,000 meant to do? Hang around and wait until they have been executed?"
In response the Prime Minister Boris Johnson said 10,000 would be arriving in total this year from different programmes but said the "bulk of the effort of this country will directed, and should be directed, on supporting people in Afghanistan."
Both regional mayor Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese have both said Greater Manchester stands ready to help and welcome people whilst calling for the Home Office to be 'fair."
Monetary donations can be made online here or items can be dropped off at locations listed here.
