AN appeal to help children in some of the world’s poorest countries was a huge success.
Mason and Gerald Martin funeral service in Hartlepool appealed to the community for gift-filled shoeboxes in the run-up to Christmas.
Generous supporters came up with the goods and the Operation Christmas Child appeal collected around 200 shoeboxes.
Mason and Gerald Martin has supported the charity project for around 10 years.
Julia Masshedar, from the funeral service in Park Road, Hartlepool, said: “It went really well and we are over the moon with the amount of boxes we collected.
“They have been sent off overseas so should now be with the children.”
The shoeboxes were packed with soft toys, scarves, gloves and hats, sweets and toiletries.
The national project is run by the Christian charity the Samaritan’s Purse and helps children aged from two to 14.
They wing their way to young people in Eastern Europe, Africa and Central Asia.
Mason and Gerald Martin distributed leaflets encouraging people to support the appeal during October and November.