A BIG-HEARTED Tyldesley family has helped to deliver boxes of love to more than a million deserving children.

Wyn and Pat Davies, aided by their daughter Maria and her husband Martin Rookyard, and grandson Simon, played a large part in collecting a record 1,142,767 gift filled Christmas shoeboxes to dispatch to 18 war ravaged and poverty stricken countries.

And 11-years-old Simon now has a second penfriend after receiving a reply from the recipient of his parcel in the former Yugoslavia.

The Squires Lane family started their gift patrol for the charity, Operation Christmas Child, last November and by the end of the year pensioner Wyn had driven over 5,000 miles to collect 30,000 boxes.

This year they have been delivered to war-hit Afghanistan for the first time.

Wyn, who started the charity work in Tyldesley seven years ago, said: "We'd like to thank everyone who contributed. Last year we aimed for half million and got 630,000, this year the target was three quarters of a million and we cracked the million."

Wyn was this year in charge of collecting from participating garages and the family covered from Manchester to Merseyside and parts of North Wales.

Simon started filling boxes at the age of four and as a result has a long standing penfriend in Macedonia. He will now write and keep in touch with his new pal.

Wyn, 72, said: "Fingers crossed we'll be back doing it again this year."