‘Every child is born with the right to live, but not an equal chance.’

            If you visit the charity's website, www.savethechildren.org.uk , this statement introduces you to many examples of the work being carried out worldwide, with the aim of giving each child an equal chance of life.

            Just a few specific examples to show you how your money may be used:

• You help us train a nurse to spot killer diseases: At just two weeks old, Ernest is already a lucky boy. He lives in Liberia, where last year one in nine babies didn't survive to see their fifth birthday. But thanks to somebody just like you, Ernest has a check up from a nurse trained to look for signs of malnutrition or disease.

• You make sure a child receives a life-saving vaccination: A trained nurse immunises children against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus in a mobile health clinic in India - funded by donations from people like you. The clinic also ensures that children receive health checks, stopping some of India's most deadly illnesses from striking.

• A community health worker spots pneumonia just in time: In Southern Sudan (now an independent country) only one child in seven is immunised against killer diseases. Sitima was suffering from pneumonia, but fortunately we'd trained her neighbour Doris to diagnose and treat malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea - the biggest killers of children in the country. Your donation could help train a life-saving health worker like Doris and save more children's lives.

• A  child  looks  forward to the future,  with the  most dangerous years  behind them: Vaccinations, mosquito nets and free health care are already making a difference. 25,000 more children are surviving every year in Liberia alone. With your help, we can ensure that many more children around the world survive the journey to their fifth birthday.

            In Save the Children week, back in April, our house-to-house collection in Pickering and the surrounding villages raised £1,789,76. We thank all the 26 volunteers who gave their time to help us, and all those who contributed to the excellent total. For every £1 you give, 87p is spent to benefit children, and the remaining 13p is used to raise the next £1.

            We Save the Children - will you?

 Gill Freeman.