A CHARITY shoe box appeal has found a new home in Barrow to coordinate its incredible work and bring joy to poor children in eastern Europe.

Boxes of Hope Cumbria was without a warehouse in Barrow to collect, pack and ship out thousands of festive presents for youngsters living in poverty in Romania after their usual location was unavailable this November.

However, a unit at Trinity Enterprise Centre has offered the local humanitarian aid charity its premises for their appeal and the team of volunteers will sort the 4,000-plus donated shoe boxes at the Furness Business Park site in Ironworks Road, Barrow, later this month.

Call for help answered

The annual Boxes of Hope appeal challenges people across Cumbria to fill a shoe box with small toys and school equipment so it can then be flown to some of Europe's poorest children in time for Christmas.

Rhona Teale, shoe box coordinator and manager of the Barrow warehouse for Boxes of Hope, said she was hugely thankful that the charity had been offered a new premises so this year's effort in south Cumbria can go ahead uninterrupted and as planned.

She said: "I am delighted to confirm that we have been offered warehouse space at Trinity Enterprises Centre on Ironworks Road and we wish to thank Lisa Clarke from the Centre who got in touch to say they had empty premises we could use."

The landlords of the empty site are Jonathan Beever and Mike O'Donnell from Dean Property Group.

Gift-wrapped shoe boxes together with a £2 donation for transport costs can be dropped off at various venues in Barrow, Dalton, Ulverston and Millom for this year's Boxes of Hope appeal from today until Saturday November 12.

Drop-off sites

Locations where shoe boxes can be left for Boxes of Hope include:

- Evening Mail office in Abbey Road, Barrow

- Tracy Wells hairdressers in Rawlinson Street, Barrow

- St Matthews Community Halls in Highfield Road, Barrow

- Dalton Drill Hall

- Wyndsors World of Shoes in Long Lane, Dalton

- Fountain Street Dental Practice in Ulverston

- Appleseeds in Market Street, Ulverston

- Millom Network Centre

What you could put in your box

- Something fun - make sure to include a selection of toys and games for child to enjoy. Items like balls, cars, dolls, skipping ropes, and dominoes are great ideas.

- Something to use at school - notebooks, colouring book, pens, crayons, rulers and pencil sharpers are some items a Romanian child can use for learning at school or home.

- Something to wear - due to the cold winters clothes are good things to add to boxes. These could include hats, gloves, scarves, mittens and socks.

- Something sweet - sweets which have a use by date of at least March of next year can be added if wanted.

- Something to keep clean - soap, facecloths, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brushes, combs and hair accessories would make good additions to the box.

What you shouldn't put in your box

- Food (except for sweets)

- Medicines

- Aerosols

- Liquids like shampoo and shower gel

- Glass and other fragile and sharp items

- War-related toys

- Novels

- Playdough and plasticine

- Loom bands