Imagine your children or grandchildren being given a lift to school with a horse and cart. That would be exciting for them, wouldn’t it? But for five-year-old twins Liviu and Livia, it’s an every-day occurrence. Having impaired vision, their father is unable to get a regular job. Their parents scrape a living by working the land around their home in a remote corner of Suceava county, northeast Romania. And each morning a kind neighbour takes the twins and even three-year-old Luis by horse and cart to kindergarten in the nearest village.

But what did cause excitement was the delivery of gift-wrapped boxes, just before Christmas, full of unexpected treats. “Liviu loves sweets and was very happy when he found them,” says Boghian Ghiorghita who runs a charity called Orbul Bartimeu (Blind Bartimaeus). “He put them in his mouth and ran around the house. This family have so little money and the children only get something sweet at Christmas and at Easter.

“Luis likes colouring books and two-year-old Laura put on her new hat. The family lives in two rooms, with their grandparents. They asked me to convey all their love to you for making the children happy at Christmas.”

Great excitement – colouring books, felt-tip pens, sweeties and so much more.