A DEDICATED mother-of-five has given up a family Christmas to travel to the Ukraine to monitor the country's Boxing Day election.

Zohrah Zancudi, who is head of democracy and civil registration with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, is one of 90 UK volunteers who flew to Kiev yesterday for a week-long stay as international election observers.

Mrs Zancudi was recruited on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Before she left Britain, she said missing her family's Christmas had been one of the hardest decisions she has had to make.

She said: "It will be the first Christmas in 22 years that I've not spent with my children - but I believe passionately in democracy."

Councillor Glyn Nightingale, Redcar and Cleveland council's cabinet member for corporate resources, said: "Zohrah is sacrificing her family Christmas, which is infinitely above and beyond the call of duty; but it is absolutely typical of her.

"She's not only a dedicated and highly valued officer for the borough, she is completely committed to the cause of democracy."

As she prepared to say goodbye to husband Tony Eastwood, Teesside's deputy coroner, along with her three youngest children, 11-year-old Zohrah, James, 12 and Bryn, 13, Mrs Zancudi said: "It will be a little bit emotional for me on Christmas Day.

"But the children will have Christmas dinner with their dad, and then the family will have another Christmas dinner when I get back, on the 30th, and we'll have an even bigger do at New Year."

She joked: "We've had a family conference and the children were a little bit upset, but fully supportive.

"Mind you, one of them wrote, 'No Ukraine' on my dirty car window!"

Mrs Zancudi has been involved in both the previous elections, first in the south- east of the country, which was a Yanukovic stronghold, then the north-west, a pro-opposition conclave.

"There were clearly problems with the election process and that it was going to have to be repeated," she said.

And she added: "On Christmas Day, I expect to be travelling around checking arrangements for the poll on Boxing Day."