ANA Amereini was a prisoner in one room of her humble home in the Carpathian Mountains. Confined to her bedroom for ten years after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, Ana could have got around so much better if only she had a wheelchair.

But wheelchairs are rare commodities in Romania and in rural areas it is not unusual to see disabled people being wheeled round on contraptions that would not have looked out of place in the Middle Ages.

But it took the actions of a crusading councillor from St Helens to banish Ana's misery.

Keith Deakin, a Labour councillor for Newton, has over the last few years, been so moved by the plight of some impoverished Romanian villagers that he launched a one man crusade to try and improve their lives.

Star readers will remember helping Keith raise the cash for Miruna Suru to have a corrective operation on her spine in 1998 and last year Keith again appealed to Star readers to help fund a new water system for Buhusi, another village.

But even Keith's last two missions could not match the emotions of the moment when he wheeled in a wheelchair for Ana.

Keith said: "She was absolutely silent for ages. Then she explained just what the chair, which had been donated by Councillor Geoff Almond from Windle, would mean to her.

Ana had eked out a living, making and repairing clothes for neighbours, who paid her with cash and produce from their gardens. But her degenerative condition will soon rule that out.

"Later she was able to use the chair to get into the dining room to enjoy her first meal at the table in a long time. She was also able to be pushed up to the tiny village graveyard to mourn at the burial site of her mother."

Keith's other project on this trip was to deliver cash collected by a local church for the children's Ward at Bacau County Hospital. The church had heard about Keith's visit last year when he witnessed rows of buckets and pans between the beds to catch the rain pouring through a leaky roof.

Keith also called in to see how Miruna was doing and was delighted to find that the operation on her spine has brought amazing results. Miruna, is now studying at high school and hopes to go on to university.

And the villagers at Bacau also toasted their Good Samaritan from a far-off land with tumblers of sparkling water.

But as modest Keith was quick to point out: "None of this would have been possible without the help and support of the St Helens Star and the generous people of St Helens."

KEITH been just been appointed to Merseyside Police Authority as a representative of St.Helens Council, taking over from Marie Rimmer.

Keith added: "I served on the Police Authority some 12 years ago, so am aware of how things operate, but it is a fresh challenge and one I am looking forward to. With crime and disorder at the top of the political agenda more than it has ever been in the past, there is a lot of work to be done."

"A lot of extra money has been allocated to Merseyside Police from central government and we see the results of that in the new system of policing. There is still much to do in the fight against crime and disorder and I hope to be able to build upon the good work done by Councillor Rimmer in securing resources for St.Helens."