A team from Swindon based charity Mission Romania returned at the end of August from another visit to the Transylvanian town of Targu Mures. Their visit was timed to coincide with the arrival of an articulated truckload of donated aid from the people and businesses of Swindon.

This year it contained even more medical equipment as well as the usual clothing, bedding, footwear, toys and stationery goods. Team member Julian Leggett, manager of the West Swindon Shopping Centre, who has made 11 trips in the last ten years, reports on the success of this year's visit and appeals for help for the Year 2000.

We again had a wonderful response to our requests for donations, so much so that we were unable to send all of the clothing, bedding and shoes that people gave us. However, we are planning to send another truck out before the end of October if we can raise the necessary finance.

It was really lovely to return to Targu Mures and meet all our old friends again. With the twelve month interval since my last visit it was easy to see where advances in living standards are occurring. Having said that, it is also easy to see where they have not. Indeed, for a lot of the people we support, their standards have taken a backward step.

Quite a number of shops have shut since last year and a lot of the goods that are available are foreign imports. A much bigger profit level for the shopkeepers, you see. But for those on the lower end of the social scale the prices are beyond their reach.

That is where we come in. We are now working with over 25 self-help groups including orphanages, churches, elderly folks homes and charities and these are just the people who, at times, have to decide between buying food or medicines because they can't afford both. The donated aid that we deliver helps to take some of the pressure off them and hopefully improves their standards of living.

It was heartening for the team to find that a couple of the charities have grown to the extent that we can no longer help them and we were able to advise them on the next steps for their organisations and where to look for further assistance.

But the team found a home/hospital situated in an old castle which houses 245 young mentally disadvantaged patients, 95 women and a small number of men. The hospital has not received any funding for over 4 months and the staff have not been paid for at least three. Their dedication is such, though, that they are still coming in to work so that the people in their care do not suffer.

Laszlo Pokorny, the Hospital Director, stated that he now has a system in place where his staff are rotating through long holiday periods so that they can get a part-time job and salary to assist with their lack of money from the hospital but they still keep coming back to help out.

The electricity supply to the hospital was cut whilst we were actually there. We were glad that we were able to donate a sum of money immediately that would ensure that the electricity was reconnected.

There are still hundreds of places like this all over Romania where the staff just won't let go and it makes you feel very humble at times. It is one of the big differences in attitudes that have developed since 1989 and the end of communism.

Mission Romania has now adopted the home/hospital as their main support project for next year and will be glad to receive donations of clothing, bedding, good quality footwear and especially financial assistance.

If everyone in the Swindon area gave us just fifty pence, it would provide enough money for the hospital to function properly for two years and get some of the more urgent repairs carried out. This would make such a difference to the quality of life for the patients and enable the staff to get on with their real work. In the meantime we continue to work with and support all of the other groups that we have assisted since 1990.

Mission Romania is now planning a Millennium collection. They can be contacted via Julian on Swindon (01793) 872987 or 644119 by e-mail to julian@7roses.freeserve.co.uk

Mission Romania can be visited @ www.mission-romania.org