MEMBERS of the North Nibley Romania Team made their annual Christmas visit to remote psychiatric hospital in the former Eastern Bloc nation.

The charity, formed in the early 1990s, provides support for the Vulcan Psychiatric Hospital in the remote village of Mina 1 Mai, north of the city of Brasov.

The village's name translates to The Mine of the First of May, Romania's labour day, and was once host to a thriving coal mine.

Team members Gazette photographer John Anyon and Andy Walker took Christmas gifts for the 141 long-term patients with money raised earlier in the year at a photographic exhibition in Wotton-under-Edge.

Well-wishers in Gloucestershire knitted bobble hats and scarves for the patients, while John bought 150 pairs of socks in a Romanian supermarket as part of their gifts.

In addition, John and Andy spent more than £500 on food for the hospital which has experienced food shortages in recent years.

"We bought pasta, tuna, eggs, cheese, margarine, flour, razor blades, jam and detergents at the request of the hospital staff.

"There is a chronic shortage of basic foodstuffs and medicine. As far as I can see there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel. The charity is not allowed to buy medicines under Romanian law.

"The hospital is reliant on charitable assistance, not just from the NNRT, but from other benefactors including a Dutch and Irish charity.

"There are concerns about how accessible the hospital will be in future to these charities in light of Romania's progression into the European Union.

"The fears are that the government will be reluctant to allow foreigners to report on poor conditions within these institutions."

The charity comprises of around 30 members across the country, and is run entirely voluntarily. Each summer teams of tradesmen make the 3,500-mile round trip to do essential work on the fabric of the building, which is a converted mine office.

Anyone interested in joining the charity or helping with fundraising can contact the team via the website, www.nnrt.co.uk