OPERATION Christmas Child shoe boxes donated from Journaland were among the quarter of a million gift parcels which left Britain last week for Bosnia, Croatia and Romania.

The first consignment of donations from schools, churches, organisations, businesses and individuals was transported in 19 articulated lorries and will be followed by distribution runs to 11 other countries with the final one in Russia early in the New Year.

OCC area co-ordinator Stan Clarke said: "We are going all out to beat last year's record of 1.3 million shoe boxes. Local support has been fantastic."