TWO charitable men are preparing to deliver 200 boxes of much-needed items to orphaned children in Eastern Europe.

John Upshall and Philip Clarke, from Basingstoke, will drive the thousands of miles to Belarus at the end of month to hand out the gifts - which include toiletries, clothes, toys, medicine and bedding - in time for Easter.

The items have been donated over the last four months by generous local residents and members of The Rotary Club of Basingstoke, which is co-ordinating the Heart, Hope and Help trip.

The organisation has collected enough items to fill a 7.5-tonne lorry, but it is now appealing to the public to donate the £2,000 needed to pay for the hire of the vehicle and diesel.

The trip was initiated by Mr Upshall, of Ramsdell Road, Monk Sherborne, after a moving talk from a Rotarian who had previously undertaken the journey.

Michael Rye, from Cardiff, spoke at a meeting of Inner Wheel - the female equivalent of Rotary - around 18 months ago.

Mr Upshall, 62, said: "It struck a chord with me and I just thought it was something I could do.

"Belarus is a poor country and it was badly affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

"Children who were being born around that time were either sick or had deformities, and a lot of them were abandoned by their fathers or parents. There are an awful lot of children in homes or orphanages out there."

Rotarians and members of Inner Wheel will sort the items, ready to leave for the trip on March 23.

The men will travel in a convoy of six lorries - mainly drawn from the Cheshire and Derbyshire areas - and should arrive in Belarus on Easter Saturday. They will spend the following four days distributing the gifts and decorating a local dental surgery.

Anyone wishing to make a donation towards the cost of the trip can contact Mr Upshall on 01256 851402.

First published: Monday, March 7