It is easy to drive into Zagreb and feel you are entering just another western European city. The ladies walking around in their fur coats, the streets lit up with Christmas decorations, the shops full of enticing presents for adults and children alike.

However, the underlying reality is a country which until it sold its telecom company a few months ago was unable to pay pensions and was, or perhaps is, technically bankrupt. We met more than one person on this trip who told us that they hadn't been paid "for a while".

I arrived before the others to help with the unloading of the lorry. We had helped with the amassing of another eighteen tonnes of aid and someone needed to help Ljubica, our Croatian coordinator, sort out what was going where, and I volunteered.

When I arrived the daytime temperature was -5¡C and snow, which thankfully had stopped falling, was piled high on the sides of the road, although thankfully it had stopped snowing. After a much needed sleep, the following day we went to the railway carriages where we store the aid. About twelve people turned up to help and they were needed.

I started to unload one section of the lorry with one team, while another worked at the rear. It was so cold that at one time the only reason I knew I still had a left hand was that I could see my glove at the end of my sleeve! I had a hat on and I was sweating so much with the unloading that it was soaking wet. It's really bizarre to be so cold, yet sweat so much. Of course, you move past a barrier and your body warms up as you work harder, but the early stages are difficult.

Everyone helping was from the local group and it was gratifying to see so many young people lending a hand, especially when you know that they may have travelled a long distance, and probably are not receiving much money. Even a bus fare can be a worry.

Once we had unloaded we returned to Ljubica's house and had a warming meal. The Thursday was for me, the others arrive on Friday. I went to lunch with Gertie Munro, the Ambassador's wife, whom I have met on several occasions.

The main discussion point was that the President of Croatia was dead and being kept "functioning" on a life support machine. This was to continue until the lists were dispatched for the forthcoming elections, which went out about the 8/9th December. Gertie was participating in a bazaar and I gave her some posters and trinkets which I had brought down for her to sell on her stall, which was raising money for Bosnian gypsy families in Zagreb.

The others arrived late on Thursday night and we started to load for delivery on the Friday morning. Our first camp was HZ and then we were taking aid to the adjacent barracks at Radnik Novska. Both of these are illegal camps with no water or electricity and conditions are desperate to say the least.

HZ was quiet, with many people seemingly away, with the children at school. We left lots of winter food, blankets and clothes, as well as bikes which had been asked for by the children on the previous visit. Everyone received Christmas boxes.

It was a similar story at Radnik Novska, which to some degree seems even worse than HZ, and their generosity never fails to amaze me. Sitting drinking tea, coffee, and eating biscuits from people who have so little always seems wrong, but they want to show their gratitude.

It was a short day, but we were all pleased that we had started our work.

The next day we were to visit Lasinje, with its nearby camp of Pisarovina. A lot of people had been transferred here from another camp we used to visit called Nova CicŽ, also known as the camp from Hell. Its reputation was such that we used to have to protect Ljubica when we visited. Now they were split up and sent to three different camp. On this visit we would only be able to visit this camp of the three.

There are over sixty families at Pisarovina, about 250 people, and they live in tidy little huts built by the Swedish Red Cross. We were greeted warmly by everyone, and it was strange to see familiar looking faces out of context at a different camp. We left a lot of aid and then moved on to Lasinje and the wonderful Roman Catholic priest, Father Bradica. The church he has built is almost finished now and the first proper service with be a Christmas mass.

We left in a hurry as we had to race back to Zagreb where a group of the local children/youth were singing for us. Many of these children themselves come from very poor families and we try to give them love, hugs and a few Christmas goodies.

The Sunday saw us loading once more and making our way to individual families who have managed to get themselves out of camps and into houses. However, they still need help. We saw Anje, Anto and Ana, the family whose house we helped to buy earlier this year. Roy, one of the team, had been to Croatia about six weeks previously and had helped to erect kitchen units which gave a smart new look, and Anto, the father, had put down a new floor, which was raised above the damp foundation (which was also treated). It is nice to see how with help families can rebuild their lives.

We had several families to see on this day, which involved a lot of trekking around trying to find certain places, not always easy!, but we managed successfully and settled down for an early night as we had a long day planned tomorrow.

We were to visit two towns, the furthest of which was a three hour drive back to Zagreb, and fog was now becoming a problem.

The first of the towns was Bjelovar and this visit had been arranged by an organisation called Caritas. We were told that there were at least one hundred families who were in great need and very little aid gets through to them.

This had to be true, because when we arrived we had the local newspaper and the local T.V. station ready to report on what we were doing. Bob and I were interviewed for the programme which is a regional slot broadcast throughout Croatia in the late afternoon and early morning. We didn't get to see ourselves, unfortunately.

On this first visit only about sixty families turned up due to the organisation not being able to get in touch with everyone in time. The people were a mixture of Bosnian and Albanian Kosovar and each family had an average of four children. They live in small rooms and life is very difficult. They queued in a very orderly manner and trooped off happily with the aid we gave them. Each family receiving food, textiles, toiletries and luxuries. We really hope they have a very good Christmas.

As we do at out last stop in Garesnica, the second town. Here we were giving to mainly gypsy families who are dependent on aid given by the same catholic organisation. Again they all have extremely large families, but once more the were very orderly and treated us to tea and biscuits.

We visited one family, Croatian, who lived in a nice house. Mother, father and nine children. It was cramped, over-crowded, but it is rare that I have visited a place where there is so much love between the members of the family. Two of the children entertained us on the piano and guitar, and we all left having made some new friends.

It was past ten o'clock before we reached Ljubica's and I fell into bed, tired but happy.

The next day we had another two drops. The hospital at Gornje Bistra and a family in Zapresic who had recently been ordered to leave the railway carriages in which they had been living for seven years.

In some respects this was the most important part of the trip as our sponsors, Edgerley Simpson, had been moved by the plight of the children at the hospital, and this had largely prompted them to sponsor this trip. We had a lot of aid specially earmarked for the hospital.

Gornje Bistra is always the same. We had often commented on the plain walls, and how uninteresting they must be for children who spend most of their lives staring at them, so I had taken with me some characters on sticky backed board to put on the walls in the play room. This was made possible by some of the staff at Edgerley Simpson, and also the support of a local Bath company called Leisure Brands. One of the nurses and I spent some time placing a small quantity of the bright coloured characters on the wall, and she promised to place the rest on the walls by the time we return in the Spring.

We spent time with the doctors nurses and patients, especially with my little friend Nina. Nina has been at the hospital for twelve and a half years, is the size of a six year old and suffers with brittle bones. She has come on in leaps and bounds during the past year when we first discovered he presence.

Again as a result of Edgerley Simpson's involvement we were able to assure the hospital that socks, pyjamas and sheets would be delivered in the near future, as this were not ready for us to collect before we left.

Again, like leaving old friends, we were a little sad to go.

We then went to Zapresic, and to the new house of people from the railway carriages. They have a one storey building (the upper story isn't finished yet, because they haven't they money to finish it off) and it was warm and spacious - compared to a railway carriage anyway.

Personally, I have never felt close to this family, but one of the other members of the team is in contact with them regularly. The father actually said to Bob one day, "each time you bring us aid it's more money I can spend on bricks to get my family into a house once more". This time he stood up and said that "one thing we have helped him to realise is to help others, and he tries to do so at every opportunity".

Feeling a little pleased with ourselves we headed back to Zagreb for our final drop of the day, a camp in the centre of the city. That done we were off home.

Unfortunately I wouldn't be there for the visit to friends in Grad Mladic, or the gypsy families which "Children First" look after, which the others told me was really distressing. Nor to a couple of smaller camps which we hadn't visited yet. But I knew that Bob and the others would do so in my absence and that more people would be looked after. They would have a happier Christmas than they previously thought.

It seems that as we feel the number of people who need help is reducing in Croatia, another door opens and more are found standing on the other side who continue to need assistance.

So we will continue to help for as long as we can, and as long as everyone keeps supporting us to do so.

• top