The generosity of Beccles residents will ensure nearly 100 orphans receive a present this Christmas.

Beccles and District Lions Club donated £200 to Barsham Church’s Love Box appeal - which sends presents to orphans in Moldova.

For the past decade members of the church have been collecting shoe boxes and filling them with Christmas gifts, with the boxes often the only presents the orphans receive.

Club president Chris Lambert said: “When the club found out about this amazing gesture that was being done locally, yet affecting the lives of children who are not as fortunate as others.

“In the spirit of the Lions movement the club felt they wanted to help in whatever way they could.”

A Lions Spokesman added: “Each Love Box is wrapped with Christmas paper and is filled with individual items - either made or bought, by people who will almost certainly never know the children who receive them, but want to give a gift at Christmas that these disadvantage children will certainly appreciate.”

Items included in the box range from knitted hats and mittens, teddy bears and puppets to more practical such as combs.

The operation is organised by the Mustard Seed Relief Mission - with around 30,000 Love Boxes sent to orphanages across Europe.

The £200 Lions donation will cover the cost of transporting the boxes to Moldova.

Mr Lambert added: “Some of the Lions have even made up their own Love Boxes and added to those already made up by the Church members.

“There will be a grand total of 96 Love Boxes this year.”

While the boxes provide a festive treat for children in need the work to produce them takes all year.

Margaret Harris, who coordinates the church’s Love Box effort, said: “It is a year-long operation as we start collecting the empty shoe boxes in January.

“In October we send them to Eastbourne to be sorted and shipped over to the individual destinations in Europe in time for Christmas.

“The Mustard Seed relief Mission provide us with a video showing the children receiving their Love Box and to see the beautiful smiles on their faces makes it all worthwhile.

“Next year’s target is to reach over 100 boxes.”