West Swindon's Magazine
EXPRESS CYCLE SPECIALIST
Is your bike safe? Free safety checks during February o. 119 • February 1992 Circulation 10,500
96 - 99 Manchester Road, Swindon
(0793) 534907 & 513705
Albania appeal backing needed
Saturday morning movies for kids are back As a result of parental demand, the MGM Cinema at the Shaw Ridge Leisure Park are hying an experiment with showing Saturday morning matinees for youngsters in February.
FEED THE CHILDREN
A massive appeal to help Albanian children in hospitals and orphanages has been launched by people in Wootton Bassett and they're calling for others further afield to help them. The Wootton Bassett Feed the Children Appeal have given themselves just two months to fill four huge lorries with 120 tons of desperately needed goods for Albanian children. Departure date is Saturday 7 March and the appeal has a warehouse ready to take: food - tinned, baby foods and dry goods (milk powder, pasta, rice, sugar) * non-prescription medecines, cotton wool, plasters, bandages, etc.
toiletries - soap, shampoo, disinfectant clothes/shoes for children up to 18 year olds childrenstoys (not cuddly ones), picture books, skipping ropes, sports gear.
IIf you can make a donation of goods, Toothill and Freshbrook Community Centres and the West Swindon shopping centre are acting as local collecting points.
Cheque donations can be made payable to the Wootton Basset Albania Appeal, care of The Woodshaw Inn, Garraways, Wootton Bassett.
Stimulated to action
I MGM manager John Kiel Cinema manager John Kiel said that he had received many requests forchildrens shows and he was willing to give it a by. 'The saturday matinees which so many parents went to when they were kids were killed off in the early 1986s by television. It was easier to let the children stay in front of the box for the morning. But the demand for big screen films is growing, so let's give it a go. "If there's support duringFebruary, we'll make the matinees a regularthingand bringbackcartoons and the old serials like Flash Gordon - just like the old days." The fflrns during February are: 8 Feb Home Alone 15 Feb Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles I 22 Feb The Goonies 29 Feb Honey I Shrunk The Kids. lOam start Tickets cost 21.50.
Appeal joint organiser Martyn Giles, landlord of Wootton Bassett's Woodshaw Inn, said that a documentary at Christmas about the plight of Albanian children stimulated a few people to think about what they could do and things have snowballed. "We're workingwith the charity Feed The Children and have the infrastructure already donated -the trucks from local hauliers, a Range Rover, a MAN VW minibus, the warehouse, free 'phones and electricity, free ferry crossings. "Now we have to fill the trucks with goods and find sponsors for the £6,000 worth of diesel needed for the trip, and other expenses." A film crew has offered its services to the appeal and they will be
Recovering from tyranny A brutal Stalinist regime hid Alba-
nia from public view for over forty years. Now Europe's poorest country is trying to recover from the brink of starvation and chaos. There are thousands of children In overcrowded hospitals and orphanages desperatly trying to sur vive. Their carers are committed to Their work but are hampered by the lackof life-saving equipment, medicines, food, clothing and educational nateriais.
recording the project, including the distribution of the donated items, so that people here can see where their help went. Awareness Day The organisers are holding an Albania Awareness Day on Saturday 15 February at the West Swindon Centre.
Information on conditions in Albania and the work of Feed the Children will be displayed and members of the appeal will been hand to tell you what the project's all about. Offers of help can be made to Martyn Giles on the appeal hotline, tel. 854617.
Buy a pizza, help buy an incubator Mike and Les Grey from West Swindon have committed themselves to help the starving children of Albania. Long distance lorry driver Les Grey, from Belsay, Toothill is giving up a week's holiday to drive an articulated lorry to Albania loaded with donated goods. "We'll be driving down through Italy and will be based in a secure camp in Albania," said Les. "From there we'll distribute smaller loads to childrens hospitals. I imagine we'll see some shocking scenes. If we can help a little, it'll be worth it." Pizza shop owner brother Mike of Shaw's Pizzarama has set himself the target of raising £600 in six weeks to buy an incubator for premature babies. He has promised to donate £1 for every super sized pizza purchased with the voucher on page 6 and 50p forevery regular sized pizza bought by customers
Backing the appeal Mike and Les Grey until the end of February. "With Les volunteering to go to Albania I had to do something to back the appeal," said Mike. "The organisers suggested we try to buy a piece of medical equipment and I hope the customers will back us."