A LORRY laden with donated goods has left Sussex to make its way to Iraq.

The vehicle is filled with winter clothes, shoes, blankets, tents and sleeping bags donated by people from across the county and around the UK.

They will be handed out to some of the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees at the city of Dohuk.

Ovingdean mother-of-two Samara Levy, was first prompted to help last year when she saw children wearing inadequate summer clothes while in refugee camps.

She decided to do it again this year after seeing what people were still facing.

Schools, churches and individuals have organised clothing collections and dozens of volunteers have helped with sorting and packing the donations.

Mission and Relief Logistics, who are experts in shipping humanitarian aid, set off from Brighton in the lorry on Thursday.