IF every picture tells a story, then the picture painted on the walls of Sipovo kindergarten, Bosnia, tells the story of a group of Lancashire soldiers who are trying to rebuild a world fit for children amid the ruins of a country destroyed by a monstrous war.

Colourful images of teddies, animals, clowns and balloons cover the filthy nursery walls that stand surrounded by the rubble and shattered glass over which children must walk every day.

The debris, the blackened wreckage of homes, is what remains of their town, Sipovo. The bright mural is the work of Corporal Mark Cooper and his comrades.

For Corporal Cooper, 34, from Burnley, it's all in a day's work, but for the band of children who watch curiously, the nursery could be Santa's grotto.

When soldiers of the 1st Battalion, The Queen's Lancashire Regiment, arrived in the town, they decided they had to do something for the children. Repairing the nursery was the obvious thing.

The task has given Corporal Cooper, who has a four-year-old son of his own, a great deal of satisfaction. "It breaks up the monotony of patrolling and the children love to watch us," he said.

Colour Sergeant Ian Edgar, who is masterminding the repairs, said: "This place was a kindergarten before the fighting, but when we came here it was in a terrible state. There was lots of damage and the locals had stripped the place bare. There was no electricity or plumbing and it was covered in ice.

"We had a collection at home among the regiment and the 4th Battalion and when we've finished off the decorating, we'll get some toys and see what else we can do."

Corporal Cooper and his new friends

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