Last year, I received a request for medical and children’s items but also an unusual request for a hearse. The conflict in Macedonia had left the Christian community (made up of Catholic, Methodist and Orthodox) without a hearse to bury their dead with dignity.

After some local fundraising, I located a 1981 Ford Granada MK2 Norwood hearse belonging to T.C. Rogers Funeral Directors at Padstow, Cornwall. The company - a family firm made up of the father Terry Rogers and the son Martin Rogers - sold me the vehicle for £1,000 and donated many spares to go with it. They also gave the car a full service for its journey.

As the photos show, the hearse is in very good condition and has only 91,000 miles on the clock from new. This vehicle is one of only 130 of its kind ever made!

Help still needed
s well as the hearse, there is a great need for medical supplies, special needs equipment, wool, knitting needles, sewing machines, knitting machines and hygiene products. This country is extremely poor; with very little to export, it is struggling to advance itself. The people are very kind and show great devotion to our Lord.

We still need to raise funds for equipment that is cheaper to buy in the Balkans than here. If you can help, please let him know on 01822 840091 or through us at Kings.

On my last visit to Macedonia with humanitarian aid I experienced an earthquake in Skopje and two days later was in Skopje when the President was killed in a plane crash on the mountains approaching Mostar in Bosnia. The President was a Methodist and learnt his theology in England and United States of America. He will be sadly missed by the peoples of Macedonia.

Trevor Paddon-Hall