A CHARITY is seeking a warehouse to store 15,000 boxes of Christmas presents it plans to send to children in Eastern Europe.

Each year volunteers from Operation Christmas Child send out thousands of boxes of presents - donated and packed by Oxfordshire school children - to needy children abroad.

They are collected in a warehouse before a lorry takes them to the chosen country - this year Belarus in Eastern Europe.

But the warehouse used last year in Drayton Road, Abingdon, is no longer available and volunteers are appealing to businesses in Abingdon or Oxford to donate a warehouse free of charge for the next few weeks.

Kerry McLeish, 47, is the area co-ordinator for Oxfordshire, and one of a number of Operation Child volunteers who visited Kyrgyzstan, on the Chinese border, earlier this year to see how children aged two to 14 benefited from the gifts.

She said: "All the children we gave boxes to had never received any presents before.

"They loved the gifts but what really overwhelmed them was the fact that strangers from so far away had sent them presents."

Mrs McLeish, who attends Christ Church in Abingdon, added: "Lots of churches and schools in Abingdon and the surrounding area get involved and it makes children in this country understand more about how children in other countries live.

"The scheme is becoming more popular every year and schools are starting to call us and say 'can you pick up 200 boxes?' "Our volunteers have to check each box individually and if we don't get a warehouse soon it will cause major problems and seriously delay our efforts to get the boxes over to Belarus in good time for Christmas.

"We need to get our lorry to Belarus by about December 15 at the latest because once they reach their destination the boxes need to be unpacked and distributed, and that takes time.

"Usually there are about 30 people a day working in the warehouse but we need some premises immediately so that they can start work."

Mrs McLeish, from Blewbury, said shoe boxes usually contained sweets, pens and paper, small books, toys and toiletries.

She added: "Sometimes people put bubble bath in but that can cause a problem when it freezes.

"Our volunteers check all the boxes for items that shouldn't be included and we replace them with hats and gloves, so we are always looking for good knitters to help us out.

"I'm thinking of approaching Dalton Barracks in Abingdon to see if they can provide a warehouse but we are desperate for an organisation to come forward."

Last year the charity sent 1.24 million boxes to children in 12 countries.

For further information about Operation Christmas Child, visit www.samaritanspurse.uk.com

  • If you can provide a warehouse for Operation Christmas Child call Mrs McLeish on 01235 851957.