VOLUNTEERS are needed for the first International Aid Trust charity shop in Blackburn, which is set to open this week.

The shop, at d 80 New Chapel Street, Mill Hill, needs about 20 helpers to run smoothly and, so far, only a handful of people have come forward.

Home Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw will open the store on Friday at 3pm, adding to the 18 others across the North West.

Bosses of the Withnell-based charity have plans to expand across the country, but first they want to cover the whole of the North West. The Rev Bernard Cocker founded the trust 11 years ago after visiting the former Soviet Union and being moved by images of pain and suffering. He returned home and vowed to make a difference. Mr Cocker is still a director of the charity.

The charity carries out humanitarian work at home and abroad, such as delivering aid to help underprivileged children, in particular those in Eastern Europe. One of the charity's biggest achievements is the recuperative centre near the Black Sea coast.

Each year, 2,000 needy children go there on a free holidays.

Another achievement was when several 38-tonne lorries went sent full of food, clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, baby products, toilet paper and women's sanitary products to help the 130,000 Kosovan refugees escaping the Serbs in April 1999.

This aid was collected from the people of Lancashire.

One of the charity's most unusual achievements was in April 1997, when it set up the Ukraine's first chip shop after the Bishop of Odessa enjoyed the traditional fried food during a visit to Lancashire.

Derrick Leach, of the charity, said: "We've been looking for premises in Blackburn for some time and these came along so we are going for it.

"We have a desperate need for volunteers. We've had a few inquiries, but the more staff we get the easier it's for those who help us.

"We can never have too many volunteers, but, ideally, we would like to have 20."

Anyone interested should call 01254 832 333.