COLLEGE staff have shown their caring sides by filling shoeboxes with gifts for children who have suffered through war, poverty or other disaster.

The staff at Stockton and Billingham College have collected, decorated and filled with gifts more than 100 shoeboxes for youngsters across eastern Europe and the former Soviet states, as part of the Samaritans' Purse Project Operation Christmas Child.

Paula Moses, a payroll officer who organised the collection, said: "When I first contacted the Samaritans I told them we would have about 15 to 20 shoeboxes to collect, but word quickly spread among staff and now we have more than 100 shoeboxes.

"All the staff have really rallied around to fill in the boxes. This appeal has really touched the hearts of everyone in the college and we will all feel a bit happier this Christmas knowing that we have made a difference to a child's life."