During a charity trip to Zambia in 2007 and two years later, I returned in 2009 to spend several weeks living in one of the worlds most deprived third world countries.

In advance of my journey, myself and 14 others fundraised over £35,000 in 2007 and a further £48,000 in 2009, to bring in person to be distributed among the schools, orphanages & health units, to fund learning materials, food, clothing, and medical supplies.

In order to know where to distribute the funds to, we spent hours every day teaching in schools, supporting orphanages and working in the hospitals, and building new places to eat, sleep and learn. This way we experienced first hand the difficulties and endeavours the teachers, doctors, nurses, care staff and other support workers faced in these challenging conditions.

It is unbelievable that bandages, clean water, pens and pencils, writing lads, pain relief, and anti malarial medication are a luxury, and ant-retroviral medication for managing HIV/AIDS is rarely available.

A country surrounded in the beauty of the Victoria Falls, a natural wonder of the world, Safari parks and of course the people, It's eye-opening to see what lies beneath this world viewed facade.

The level of excitement, gratitude and appreciation by the children experienced in the various orphanages in Lusaka, Livingstone and the areas across this southern African country was very humbling. We were there to bring funds in the form of cash, but the children, like in the modern world, or perhaps not, money is not important or of seeming value, it's the product or purchase from this cash that is cause of smiles and excitement, not the £ signs.

I am asking for help to raise money to send to these children to bring Christmas to them. Too often shoebox appeals are interrupted by customs and excise interferance. My plan is to send as much money as I can to support workers in Zambia to purchase Christmas presents for the orphaned children.

Thank you