Who'll get this letter to Ghana?

Caretaker Peter Laycock was so moved by a Bingley teenager's heart-felt plea for help that he inspired youngsters at his school to bring in clothes and toys for African orphans.

And he's done such a good job at rallying support he's been inundated with a mountain of goods given by pupils and parents of Denholme Primary School.

They now need someone to help transport the goodies.

"I don't want to disappoint the children. Our only hope is that we can find a kind-hearted haulier or someone in the export business who can come to our rescue," he said.

Mr Laycock first heard about the King Jesus Charity Home orphanage in Ghana's Kumasi district from a fellow bridge player whose 19-year-old grandaughter Laura Butler is spending a gap year there.

Laura, who attended Bingley Grammar School, raised ?3,000 to pay for her six months' work with the charity Africa Trust and has been e-mailing her family with updates and pleas for help.

Her dad Mick and mum Lindsey organised a rock night for the orphanage which brought in ?1,200. That was spent on finishing off a much-needed toilet block.

The orphanage houses 126 children aged from three months to 19 years.

They sleep in six rooms and while the 40 oldest ones get a bed, the others sleep on the bare stone floor.

Laura will return home to Plevna Terrace, Bingley, next month ready to start an anthropology degree at Sussex University. She has told her family that the children often get ill.

Her mum, who is a teacher at Horsforth School, has also managed to give her a bit of classroom support by putting together some teaching ideas and resources.

Anyone who wants to support the orphanage should send cheques made payable to King Jesus Charity Home direct to The Reverend Kofi Owusu Afriye, PO Box 6759, Kumasi, Ghana.

And anyone who can help transport the school's donations should call them on (01274) 832123.