THE first consignment of food collected at local supermarkets - and vital to Kosovan refugees' survival - has left Tyldesley en route to the Balkans.

Charity workers Maria Rookyard and her mum and dad Wyn and Pat Davies are pictured loading supplies at the Davies' Squires Lane home.

Journal readers, including Fred Longworth High pupils, supermarket shoppers at Tesco and KwikSave in Atherton and Tyldesley's Somerfield and Co-op stores, donated pasta, sugar, flour, cooking oil, salt and vitamin tablets to be ferried to the refugees.

It is all part of Operation Christmas Child organised by the charity workers at Samaritan's Purse International.

The first load included 700 bottles of pure mineral water donated by Barrs of Atherton.

Wyn told The Journal: "We're grateful to everyone who has helped, to the stores and to Indespension of Bolton who have loaned us a trailer to transport goods to the collection depot.

"Thanks to everyone and The Journal staff who have contributed to the success of this operation."

Samaritans Purse trucks are now on their mercy mission. In Skopje the aid supplies will be stored in a 12,000 square foot warehouse where the charity is looking after 6,000 refugee families totalling around 32,000 people.

Some of the food will also go to the refugee camp they have set-up on the Albanian coast providing sustenance and shelter for 25,000.

Samaritan's Purse will continue to send aid trucks to Macedonia, Albania and any other place where people are in need.

All year round two aid trucks a month leave the charity's Wrexham warehouse to countries in Eastern Europe.

And food collections for Kosovo refugees will continue to be accepted. Call 01942 883123 or 886084 for more details. 175/143/3

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.