CHILDREN from Derwentside handed over Christmas presents for youngsters less fortunate than themselves as part of an annual initiative yesterday.

The Operation Christmas Child bus visited St Mary's Primary School in Blackhill, Consett, to collect shoe boxes full of gifts, ready to be taken to needy children in eastern Europe.

Consett is one of the 25 key towns and cities in the country that the Operation Christmas Child bus will visited in the country.

Joan Lacey, headteacher of St Mary's Primary School, said: "We are pleased to be contributing to the 2005 Operation Christmas Child project as it helps our pupils in a number of ways.

"In addition to learning that it is good to help others, we can also base a number of lessons around the provision of boxes, such as geography, and the way of life in other countries.

"Our families are always generous in their support and the children are genuinely delighted to help to choose gifts for their boxes."

The scheme is led by the project founder Dave Cooke, using a converted double decker bus on an 1,800 mile trip.

Mr Cooke started Operation Christmas Child in 1990 in his home town of Wrexham to help children in Romania in the aftermath of the Ceausescu regime. He said: "Individuals and organisations in Derwentside and Durham have demonstrated their kindness in the past, and we are very hopeful that they will be even more generous this year.

"People are becoming much more aware of the large numbers of children in many countries who have been left with nothing due to natural disasters, war and poverty and they want to help."

Anyone wishing to participate in this year's appeal should log on to www.samaritanspurse.uk.com, contact the helpline on 0870 011 2002 or call Kelvin Ashley on 07952 707 250.