PEOPLE are being urged to make donations to visiting seamen who will be in port in Seaham over Christmas.

Seaham Seafarers' Centre has asked for donations to provide some seasonal cheer.

The centre's lay chaplain, David Talbot, said it could be anything from clothing, particularly hats and gloves, to food and toiletries, or even just a Christmas card.

But he said that no alcohol should be donated, as it is banned on many ships.

He said: "The people of Seaham and east Durham have proved very generous in the past."

Mr Talbot said he hoped the appeal would prove as successful as last years.

Gifts can be left at the watch cabin at the port entrance, at the bottom of Mount Stewart Street, in Dawdon