Anonymous donor gives £10,000 to appeal for Ukrainian girl orphaned after A61 crash in Ripon

Tributes were left at the scene of the crash on the A61

Organisers of an appeal to help a Ukrainian girl left orphaned after a crash in North Yorkshire say they were left in "tears" after an anonymous donor gave £10,000.

Daria Bartienieva, 35, died along with her six-year-old son and teenage step-daughter in a crash involving two cars and a bus on the A61 near Ripon on Sunday, 3 September.

They were living in Ripon having sought refuge from the war in Ukraine.

Daira's 15-year-old daughter Liza, who was not involved in the crash, is now living with a friend of her mother. It is understood her father died earlier this year in Ukraine.

The local community in Ripon has since rallied round in support of the teenager. An online fundraiser has raised over £34,000, over ten times the £3,000 target amount it set out to achieve.

It has been given a huge boost after one donor gave £10,000 on Friday.

In response Donna Chilcott, one of the organisers, wrote on Facebook: "Whoever the kind person was that donated £10,000 you are an amazing person and what a really kind thing to do. This young girl and her family are so thankful for everyone who has donated."

Fellow organiser Sara Hirst added: "Imagine [going from] putting a tub on the bar and a friend doing a Go Fund Me page to then four days later someone donating £10k. Yes, someone has donated 10 thousand pounds! Whoever it is has brought me to tears!"Sara, who runs the Black Swan pub in Ripon, has organised a fundraiser at the venue this Saturday to bring the community together and raise further funds.