Socks.

Can you imagine going through the winter without any?

When she was handed a Blythswood shoebox at the door of her village home in central Bulgaria, 12-year-old Maria had no socks.

Her last pair had worn out and so she was barefoot at home and stuck her bare feet into cold plimsols when she went out.

Maria lives with her mother who is barely able to buy the food and clothing they require. She never hears from her father who abandoned them long ago and sends no money.

She really liked the pens and crayons she found in her box. But especially the socks.