OPERATION Christmas Child, the collection of shoeboxes full of goodies for underprivileged children in eastern Europe, is now under way after a hiccup over warehousing.

The county collection of shoeboxes, organised by the Christian charity Samaritan's Purse, has depended on the use of a warehouse in Melksham being available to store the gifts before they are shipped overseas to the recipient countries.

Unfortunately, the store in Stratton's Walk has now been demolished to make way for redevelopment and county organiser Hilary McFall has had a nightmare looking for alternative accommodation.

She said: "I am now an expert on property in Wiltshire, having spent months looking for a warehouse that was within our budget.

"Many companies are selling off surplus space and they have little to rent off to us.

"The cost of hiring warehouse space is really scary, but we have now found a new home and will be ready to move in on November 6. We should be ready to take in shoeboxes from November 10."

Mrs McFall has already met some of the recipients of this year's county largesse when she went to Russia as a volunteer at a summer camp for children who live on the streets, in orphanages or in homes of great poverty.

She said: "There were about 200 children, most of them aged between eight and 13, although there were some younger. They had a really good time. We organised arts and crafts and games including football. The two weeks went by very quickly.

"As soon as they saw the logos on our t-shirts they got very excited and started shouting "boxes, boxes". We had to explain that we didn't have boxes this time but they would be coming along later.

"When we give out the boxes we register the children so we can keep tabs on where they are. Many of the children at the camp were ones that were registered last year.

"It was a really wonderful experience. Most of the children have never had a holiday and they had the most wonderful time."

The 45 volunteers who went from Britain paid their own expenses and the children were sponsored by British people to go to the camp, which was located 60km outside Moscow, the Russian capital.

Mrs McFall is hoping that this year's collection of shoeboxes in Wiltshire will be in excess of last year's total, which was just 35 short of 40,000.

She said: "It would be great to breach the 40,000 figure. People are very generous and I am fairly confident we can do it."

Leaflets on how to put together a shoebox of gifts are available from the Gazette offices in Devizes, Chippenham and Marlborough. Completed shoeboxes can be returned to the Gazette up to November 26.

For people living in the Devizes, Marlborough and Pewsey area, they can also be delivered to the home of local co-ordinator Ursula McKinnon at 33 Broadleas Road, Devizes from November 22 to 27 between 10am and 6pm.

St Andrew's Church in Long Street, Devizes, is also taking them on Sunday, November 21 from 10am to 12.30pm.

Any queries about the collection can be made to Mrs McKinnon on (01380) 726746 or Lewis Cowen at the Gazette office on (01380) 731692.

Last year more than a million shoeboxes were sent from Britain and Ireland to countries including Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Iraq, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.