WHAT has been provided by the people of Woodbury Salterton and their friends during the past 20 years is appreciated and is making a difference in The Gambia link village of Dumbutu, it was made clear this week.

WHAT has been provided by the people of Woodbury Salterton and their friends during the past 20 years is appreciated and is making a difference in The Gambia link village of Dumbutu, it was made clear this week.

There have been a number of group visits to The Gambia, the last one two years ago. Penny Price said the remote village - about 70 miles from the capital Banjul on the coast - has a population of 669. The village is now made up mainly of elderly people, women and children, with the men working on the coast.

Over the years, the link has provided a steady flow of funds through sponsoring to assist in the education of the local children. The emphasis in the village is on the school which has "an excellent reputation" with a dedicated headmaster. Other countries - notably the Japanese and the Dutch - help considerably in the village but the Woodbury Salterton link was, she said, "appreciated and making a difference".

Besides cash for the schoolchildren, the Woodbury Salterton link has helped with a number of projects such as sending out sewing machines, a tractor, giving financial aid for medicines and the establishment of a library. Money has also been set aside for the provision of mosquito nets.

At the coffee morning - which raised �50 for funds - link chairman Mrs Leo Wilson, of Exmouth said that in the past the link had supported 81 children in the school.

l �25 a year helps ensure a child can attend school with books,school uniform and school dinners.

If you are interested, contact Leo Wilson on (01395) 268820.