CHILDREN at St Mary's CE Primary School, at Askham Richard, near York, collected 71 Christmas boxes for children in Eastern European countries.

Teacher Fiona Coward said children had packed the boxes with toys, hats, scarves, sweets and toiletries and wrapped them up at home before bringing them into school. They have now been collected by the charity Samaritans' Purse as part of its Operation Christmas Child project.

Updated: 11:36 Wednesday, December 05, 2001