CHILDREN in Cambodia will soon be playing with toy sets donated from Radcliffe and Ainsworth, thanks to a charitable family.

Bob and Helen May, of Prestwich, will be taking unwanted pieces of Lego to the Harvest of Hope School, near Phnom Penh, that is part of a new community for families who had previously lived on rubbish tips and in ghettos.

The couple will be making the two-week trip to Cambodia with charity Mission Direct at Easter and are set to receive donations from youth groups in Ainsworth and from St Andrew's Church, Radcliffe, where Bob is a lay minister.

The 52-year-old town planner said: "Mission Direct has been going for about 10 years now and they organise teams to go out to a variety of countries to work with local charities.

"They do either building projects, IT support, teaching, and medical work. Helen and I have been on a few trips now and I also take teams from work to Sierra Leone for a project there where we are building a school kitchen and will be refurbishing a hospital wing.

"Mission Direct have been going to the school in Cambodia for about five years and one team brought them some Lego a few years ago, which went down really well.

"They have started a Lego library in the school and it has proved really popular."

Helen, a teacher at St Mary's Primary in Prestwich, will be working with a team training teachers at the Cambodian school, while Bob will be part of the building project putting an extension on a classroom.

He added: "The school struggles to find or afford to buy Lego over there, so they are asking for donations from us.

"We've got a decent luggage allowance to take over so I'm hoping I can take a full bag of Lego with me.

"I will be going up to meet the the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts at Ainsworth on Friday to collect their donations and we have had a few people at St Andrews who are collecting for us as well."

If you have any Lego to donate, email Bob at bobmay.home@yahoo.co.uk.