THE Tavistock branch of the Christian charity Operation Sunshine recently sent a container full of aid supplies to people in Kasulu, Tanzania, a country with one and a half million refugees from the fighting in neighbouring countries.

The work of Operation Sunshine in Tavistock is organised by branch leader Felicity Derry-Thomas and her group of dedicated volunteers and helpers. The group are already planning to send their next 20 ft ships container to Africa in May.

For the past thirteen years, Operation Sunshine has been sending much needed clothing, food, medical equipment, tools, sewing machines, blankets, soaps, toiletries and lots of other necessities to the very poorest in Africa and other parts of the world.

The latest round of loading provisions and essentials ready to go to Africa took place at Hurdwick Farm, just outside Tavistock on the morning of Saturday, March 2. The process of packing and loading the container took the army of around 20 volunteers four hours.

This time last year, the work of Operation Sunshine was hampered by foot and mouth restrictions, but despite this, the charity improvised to allow it to continue to function throughout the summer. When the storage shed at Hurdwick Farm became off limits, alternative storage sites were quickly found — and garages and spare rooms around Tavistock were soon packed with items to be sent to Africa.

Felicity said around 12 to 15 garages in Tavistock were being used as stores at the height of the foot and mouth crisis. She said although people pulled together, the period had been very difficult and she never wanted to go through it again.

For the past four years, the Squires, who farm at Hurdwick, have let Operation Sunshine use several barns as storage space and Felicity said they have been only to happy to help out.

Felictiy said the charity always needs more quality second-hand goods, but the most desperately needed items are tools for carpentry and gardening, educational equipment and stationary, baby equipment and nappies, sewing tools and children's shoes.

She said children's shoes were essential because although children in Africa could run about barefoot this increased their chances of picking up infections which could go septic and could not be properly treated given the limited medical resources in African communities.

Operation Sunshine is a continuous task — 'It's quite hard work. You have to keep at it, because the stuff still keeps coming in,' explained Felicity.

It costs more than £3,000 to buy and send a ships container to Africa. Felicity said that finding the money to transport the goods was always a concern, but the group had never been unable to send a container load when it was full because of the transport cost.

'Somehow we find the money, somehow it seems to come and we can transport the goods,' she said.

Felicity has been to Tanzania twice and would also love to go to Zambia.

'The people were just so grateful for everything they had received. It meant something to them that people thousands of miles away care,' she said.

On one of her visits to Tanzania, Felicity met a lady who ran a school for local children for two days each week.

She was told the children arrived at school in a very lethargic state because they hadn't eaten for several days, but as soon as they had been given something to eat, their attention levels would rise and they would become more lively.

However, the teacher was only able to afford to run the school and give the children a little to eat two times a week. For just ten Zambian pounds donated by Operation Sunshine she was able to run the school regularly for almost a year.

Felicity said some people asked her why Operation Sunshine collects all these items and does not just send money to Africa, but many of the things people need cannot be bought in Africa at all. Through local contacts, the charity was also able to hear what everyday items people really needed.

For example, midwives have told Operation Sunshine they need lamps to deliver babies because they are currently delivering them by candlelight.

Felicity said her charity work was informed by her religious belief. 'I have a deep concern for the absolutely destitute, it could be me or my family,' she said.

And she was keen to dismiss some of the perceptions people have of Christian do-gooders. 'I feel very strongly it is a Christian group,' she said.

'People think Christians spend their time on their knees, but I want to show that Christians are prepared to get their hands dirty.

'I thoroughly enjoy it, it is fun, I don't do this just because I feel I need to. I have met some really wonderful people through the group,' she added.

Felicity emphasised Operation Sunshine was a team effort, which involved a number of skilled people. 'I think we are very lucky to have such great people on our doorstep,' she said.

The main barn at Hurdwick is a cluttered sight with a sea of sacks of old clothing and box upon box of tools and equipment towering up towards the roof.

The barn is used to sort the items into different categories — while some people speed up the process by sorting at home. The items are then secured in sacks or boxes and stored until the shed is packed full and a morning of intensive container-loading action can commence.

The next container is likely to be ready next month, and will go to Lusaka in Zambia, where many of the supplies go to a nearby leper compound.

Operation Sunshine was originally founded in Folkestone and gets support from across the country, a consignment of items collected in York recently arrived at Hurdwick Farm.

The charity has some high profile supporters as well. Archbishop of Cantebury Dr George Carey paid tribute to the group's work in his New Year's message on BBC television.

Dr Carey said Operation Sunshine had 'made a difference to hundreds of thousands of lives' and offered a 'message of hope'.

It can only be a good thing that the message of hope is continuing to spread.