Five aid workers are on their way home from a successful mission to the war-torn Balkans.

The group, all from Eynsham, Oxfordshire, arrived safely in Albania with a van load of supplies - despite the growing havoc in neighbouring Kosovo.

Shirley King, wife of one of the drivers, told the Oxford Mail: "It has all gone as planned, in fact, better than planned.

"They have delivered everything. We have very good friends and advisers in the country who told us it would be safe.

"Obviously, there was still an element of danger, but we made the commitment to go."

The trip was the latest link-up between the village of Eynsham and the Albanian town of Korce, dating back to 1991, when the communist government collapsed and the country was in need of aid.

On board the van, which arrived in Albania on Wednesday, was some medical aid and equipment, wheelchairs, plus a range of instruments for a school of music.

Korce is more than 100 miles south of the border with Kosovo and the group was given clearance to go by embassies in London and Albania.

Drivers Adrian King, Robert Brown and Graham Howard took the van via Italy and across to Albania by boat. They were met by two other group members, Robin Saunders and John Darnell, who flew out to Greece and then joined up with them.

Mrs King, of Greens Road, Eynsham, has spoken to her husband by telephone but said he had not gone into any details about the situation in the country.

"The important thing was to go there and to renew contact and friendship," she said. The group is due back on Wednesday.

Story date: Monday 05 April

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