WALKING to school has obvious health benefits. It's gratifying that many children do so as a matter of routine.
What may not be widely appreciated is that this is International Walk to School Week. Mansfield and Ashfield pupils have been donating unwanted shoes to help children from developing nations as part of the Share a Pair project organised by Nottingham
shire County Council in partnership with the Notts Police Aid Convoys.
This is a first-rate initiative, deserving of the widest support.
Central to its success is the extraordinary work of the Police Aid Convoys.
What started 15 years ago as a one-off humanitarian aid mission to refugee camps in war-torn Yugoslavia has since taken in the likes of Russia, Albania, Zambia and Bulgaria. Lorry-loads of everything from clothing, bedding, toiletries, cleaning materials, tools, computers, wheelchairs, desks and chairs have found there way to hospitals, clinics, orphanages, schools and other appreciative recipients, thanks to the largely unsung efforts of teams of local volunteers and the continuing generosity of Nottinghamshire people. And the need is now as great as at any time.
The next consignment is due to leave for Albania on 21st October.
Anyone wishing to know more about the Police Aid Convoys and ways they can help, should visit
http://www.npac.org.ukWhatever you do, don't throw away those unwanted shoes . . .
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