PEOPLE in Kent are being asked to help deprived children in vulnerable countries like Romania, Serbia and Kosovo this Christmas.

Organisers of Operation Christmas Child are appealing for people to decorate and fill shoeboxes with small presents to be dispatched to poverty-stricken and war-torn countries before the festive season.

Samaritan's Purse International, which runs the operation, has strict guidelines for the shoeboxes. These include deciding on the target age and sex of the child and not including a range of banned items such as food, sharp objects or toiletries.

For more information contact Pat Strange on 020 8559 2044 or visit our website.

Local organisers of Operation Christmas Child are also looking for help sorting and dispatching boxes in the Maidstone area. Anyone interested in volunteering can call Keith or Maureen Evans on 01622 762743 or Fraser Mair on 01732 450232.