Operation Christmas Child has already received a stack of packs from here in 1066 Country but organisers are appealing for more as they seek to make Christmas a fun time for youngsters regardless of their circumstances.

It sends the boxes to children in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Kosova, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Romania, Serbia, Swaziland and Ukraine.

And people have until November 18 to get involved in spreading a little seasonal goodwill.

Roger Fenton, the project's regional manager explained everything had to be in by that date to give volunteers time to check whether the gifts are suitable and then pack them into large cartons, load them on to lorries and send them off abroad.

Mr Fenton said: "It is a huge task but well worth it. The children receiving them have difficult lives. "They may be ill in hospital. A lot live in orphanages or street shelters, or they may be with their families but living in poverty.

"For many, the shoebox is the only present they will receive this Christmas. Some have received so little in life that they open their shoebox, look at the gifts and then hand it back, because they do not realise it is for them to keep. When they do, their faces are a joy to see."

Anyone wanting to make up a shoebox should visit: www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk to find out what kind of gifts to put into it and, by entering their postcode, locate the nearest drop off point to take it to for us to collect.

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