A CHARITY is calling on Hampshire businesses for urgent help.

Operation Christmas Child needs floor space - in offices, factories, shops or community centres - to collect gift-filled shoeboxes destined for some of the world's poorest children.

Retail outlets and other buildings open to the public are needed as collection points for just three weeks during November.

Organisers at the Christian Relief-run project say it could help them deliver hundreds of thousands of Christmas presents to children in 14 eastern European countries.

"We need more businesses in Southampton, the New Forest and Winchester to register as collection points to help us to send gift-filled shoeboxes to children in countries where war, poverty and natural disasters have left them with nothing," said Roger Fenton, Hampshire's Operation Christmas Child boss.

Already shopping centres, supermarkets, libraries, churches, community centres, post offices, council offices and car showrooms have signed up as collection points. Now more spots, ideally buildings open to the public between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Saturday, are needed between November 5 and 21. At the end of the collection time, charity bosses will collect the shoeboxes to send them abroad.

Mr Fenton added: "Every collection point plays a key role and businesses that register to help have the added incentive of attracting more customers through their door.

"The tremendous impact that a shoebox containing simple gifts has upon a child cannot be over emphasised. All we ask is that shops or businesses set aside some floor space for storing the shoeboxes until we collect them.

Any shop or business which has storage space available and wishes to register as a drop-off point should call Ruth Jones on 01978 367722.