Charity worker Bob James might have travelled to some of the poorest countries in the World but nothing could have prepared him for the devastating sights he witnessed in Armenia when he delivered shoeboxes from the Operation Christmas Child appeal.

Bob, from Sedgeberrow, spent almost a week with the group of 12 volunteers who delivered the boxes of gifts to children in the poorest country in Europe.

"A lot of the others hadn't done distribution before and even though I had, the kids still got to me. I could have just brought one home but you have to accept that you can't. You can't change the World but you can change the World for a child," he said.

He was particularly touched by the look of appreciation on a young girl's face when she was given a toy Bambi.

"The children we delivered to are the future of Armenia and the shoeboxes were such a simple way to remind them they are loved," he said.

Bob experienced a hair-raising 70-mile journey in thick fog and two feet of snow between the country's capital, Yerevan, and the second city, Gumri, which looked much the same as it did after being devastated by an earthquake in 1989.

Whole families were living in water tanks and containers - Bob met one family, a mother and her three children, who were forced to share the same bed.

The mother wore a summer dress despite temperatures falling to -30 just so her children could have warm clothes.

In a watertank village they had distribute the shoeboxes outside in the snow because there was no space large enough indoors.

"I was amazed and humbled by the dignity they showed, especially the adults," he said. "They are very proud people who are determined to survive."

The group did not cope as well with the colder climate - at a reception held by the British Embassy on their arrival they dressed in outdoor gear to protect them from the cold but arrived to see Embassy officials in bow ties and evening dresses.

Bob said some volunteers were shocked to see women walking around in real fur coats which would be horrendously expensive here but was the norm in Armenia.

Bob has already set to work on his next project - helping nine children in an orphanage in Gumri who each need three operations on cleft pallets.

A French surgeon offered to carry out the operations and has already performed the first operation on four of the children but £16,000 must still be raised for other expenses.

Work has also started for this year's shoebox appeal - Bob said one lady contacted him to say she had already knitted 100 hats and another has been collecting tubes of toothpaste.

Anyone who would like to help with fundraising for the orphans or who could donate wool for knitting should contact Bob James on 01386 881605.