North and East Yorkshire people were today mobilising to respond to the plight of Kosovan refugees forced to flee their homeland.

Clive Phoenix prepares for his relief mission to Kosovo.

An ex-serviceman from York is planning a mercy mission to help the thousands of refugees fleeing over the Kosovan border into Albania, and an appeal for help went out to Evening Press readers from the Strensall-based office of the United Nations Children's Fund.

Clive Phoenix, secretary of the Haxby-based charity Watch (World Air Transport Communications and Health) hopes to take a truck-load of aid to Kosovo in the next month.

The charity has been delivering aid to Bosnia for some years with the help of volunteers and donations from local businesses.

Mr Phoenix said the group had approached the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) as early as Christmas asking if they could take aid to Kosovo.

The plan was to take out emergency accommodation and water purification and distribution systems.

"That was put on hold because they had so many organisations going out there," he said.

"But now with the influx of refugees we're 90 per cent certain we'll be going.

"We're in regular contact with UNHCR. At the moment we're planning go down there for a fortnight's in-depth reconnaissance. A fortnight later we hope to take the aid."

He said the load would include tents, plastic sheets and equipment for providing clean water.

"They don't need clothes - they've got warehouses full out there," he said.

So far the group has raised £3,000 for its latest mission.

The Government has pledged extra aid to combat the crisis and international development secretary Clare Short announced a £500,000 donation to the UN's World Food Programme.

An RAF C130 Hercules plane left Glasgow's Prestwick airport last night with tonnes of tents and blankets.

Meanwhile the Strensall-based regional office of Unicef, the United Nations Children's Fund, is calling on readers of the Evening Press to make a donation for essential equipment which is already being provided to refugees.

Sandra Howarth, regional officer, said: "Unicef staff are on the ground getting emergency supplies to many refugees who have already arrived, but with more refugees fleeing daily we need to replenish the stocks.

She said Unicef staff were on the ground in Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia distributing aid to refugees.

The Red Cross and Oxfam have also appealed for donations. Like Unicef they have asked for cash, rather than clothing.

Gavin Keir, campaigns co-ordinator at Oxfam in York, said their office had already received a lot of calls from people wanting to make donations.

see COMMENT 'We have a duty to Albanians'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.