A HOSPITAL consultant is appealing for football fans to donate unwanted replica shirts to Africa.

Psychiatrist Dr Angus Bell has spent two and a half years raising £25,000 to support a school for street children in Uganda.

After his most recent visit to Africa, Dr Bell, a consultant with the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust, decided to ask fans to send him spare football shirts for Rhema Primary School.

The consultant, a keen football supporter, said: "Football is the number one sport for the children of Rhema School and owning a football shirt of any description is a distant dream. I'd like to make that dream a reality and am appealing for help. Being given a football shirt to these children is a luxury gift but is relatively cheap for us in comparison.

"The shirts don't have to be new, or the current season's edition, so if you are the owner of a last season's shirt that you no longer need, you've outgrown your football shirt or if you would just like to donate one, that would be fantastic."

Dr Bell has been supported by colleagues at the Ashwood unit, in Guisborough, who contributed 20 shirts.

Rhema school feeds and educates 138 children, one third of whom have HIV and live on the streets at night.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can contact Dr Bell on (01287) 284060.