THEY all sat in the same class at the top state school in Sri Lanka way back in 1975 and have kept in touch since moving to Hampshire.

However, when three members of the Royal College's Class of 75 stage a reunion in Chandler's Ford on May Bank Holiday they will be aiming to raise £10,000 in aid of victims of the tsunami which devastated their home country.

Civil engineer Ruban Muruganandan, of Chandler's Ford, civil servant Jay Jaysundra, of Valley Park, and doctor Vera Harindra, of Waterlooville, have organised a special charity lunch at St Martin's Church Hall in Queen's Road on Monday, May 2.

Former classmates will be travelling from as far afield as Lancashire, London, Cornwall and Kent to be at the £50-a-head luncheon.

All the food is being provided free by Kutis Brassiere of Southampton and the luncheon will feature a puppet show by members of Chandler's Ford Methodist Church.

At 3.45pm the doors will be thrown open to the general public for a sale of unwanted gifts and nearly new items at knockdown prices plus a raffle of prizes - including airline tickets to Sri Lanka sponsored by Qatar Airways London - donated by sponsors and well-wishers.

Ruban, 49, of Queen's Road, said: "After the tsunami we agreed that we would stage a one-off project to try to help.

"Our target is to raise a minimum of £10,000 to provide new boats for the fishing fleets in two areas - Kalmunia in the east of Sri Lanka and Galle in the south.

"We are going to buy fibre glass and second-hand engines to give them the raw materials so that they can make their living again."

The Class of 75 hope to be able to provide ten boats - but the aid will not stop there.

"Two or three of us are going to go out there to join the workforce and spent time to make sure it happens. I certainly will be there," said Ruban.

CIVIC chiefs in Hampshire have become the first in the country to send council staff on relief work to areas affected by the Boxing Day tsunami.

Six social workers are on their way to Sri Lanka to help children orphaned by the disaster.

During their three-week stay in the Hambantota region of southern Sri Lanka, the social workers will teach new skills to adults working with traumatised youngsters and provide one-to-one counselling for bereaved children and their adoptive families.

About six hundred children in the coastal area lost one or both parents and though most have now found new homes with relatives, many have been left psychologically scarred.

However, the mercy mission has proved controversial because it is being funded by taxpayers money - something some residents have complained about.

Ian Hoult, head of emergency planning for Hampshire, is co-ordinating the trip after a fact-finding trip last month.

He said: "What I discovered is that a huge number of children are without one or both of their parents and are deeply traumatised by what happened - the most acute need that we are able to help with now is with the care of these children."

The six social workers include three from different departments of the council's Winchester headquarters: Hayley Williams, Rosie Peart and Caroline Munro. The others are: Lorraine Hopkin, from Chandler's Ford, Mark Scott from the New Forest, and team-leader Lyn Ludford from Aldershot.