A SECOND container of much-needed medical items has recently left West Devon, bound for Uganda.

Members and friends of Tavistock Community Church ? helped by a local farmer and his tractor ? took just over three hours to load more than 500 boxes.

Items consisted of medical supplies, along with important medical equipment such as an x-ray machine and a special baby incubator.

All of this work was to help with the establishing of a field hospital close to the war zone in the Congo, and a small hospital/diagnostic centre in Fort Portal, Uganda.

The project is organised by the Great Lakes (Africa) Mission under the umbrella of Tavistock Community Church.

Members have been working closely with a charity called Outreach to Africa, which is supplying the buildings and staff for both projects.

Tavistock Community Church Pastor Colin Bond will be travelling out to Uganda in a few weeks? time to help prepare the buildings before the container arrives.

He said he was delighted ?that the people of Tavistock have once again rallied to our help? in donating money towards the cost of the container.

?They have also supplied much-needed building materials and computers.

?The Royal Air Force has also come to our aid, in promising to fly our Land Rover ambulance out to Africa in the near future.?

Colin Bond said he wished to say a ?huge thank you? to everyone who has helped in any way.

However, for the work to be able to continue Tavistock Community Church is desperately in need of a large dry secure barn or warehouse.

Already redundant NHS items such as operating theatre equipment and lights are being lost to a local scrapyard because the temporary storage facilities used by the church are only available until the middle of this April.

The Great Lakes (Africa) Mission is currently seeking more money to pay for the shipment of another container which the volunteers hope to be able to send within the next six weeks.

At the moment there are enough medical items in store and ready to go to fill two containers.

If you can help with storage space or by sponsoring the containers please telephone Derek on 01822 834465.