READERS are getting behind our Daily Echo campaign to help speed a second aid truck on its way to Serbia this Easter.

Since our Give Them Hope appeal was launched in Saturday's edition of the Daily Echo, readers have been pouring their unwanted foreign coins and notes into collection buckets at newsagents and other shops around the area.

The cash will be turned into pounds and given to the Hampshire volunteers team from Hope and Aid Direct, so the charity can meet the £2,500 cost of sending a second lorry of supplies from Hampshire to refugees in Serbia.

Hope and Aid already has £2,500 to cover the fuel cost of sending one truck of aid - including clothes, food and toys - from Hampshire to Serbia as part of a convoy of 20 lorries travelling from England in April.

The charity will be helping refugees who fled to southern Serbia from Kosovo during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, and who are living in appalling conditions with little shelter, food, sanitation or clothing.

Today, as well as asking you to keep those foreign coins and notes coming in - including obsolete pre-Euro currencies - we are urging readers to help in another way.

Hope and Aid Direct's Hampshire volunteers - Bernie Sullivan, his partner Susie Barker and their friend Don Wiggins - are looking for a local business to lend them two lorries for the 3,500-mile round trip to Serbia.

Bernie, of Thornbury Wood, Chandler's Ford, said: "We need two 7.5 ton vehicles on loan for two weeks. We can put the name of the company which lends us the trucks on the side if it's not already on there.

"Lorries with sleeper cabs would be ideal."

Don, of Wryneck Close, Lordswood, Southampton, has another request for Echo readers: "If anyone has a Transit van they could lend us occasionally over the next few weeks it would be wonderful. We need a small van to use locally to collect donations of aid and take them to our storage points.

"It would only be for a short period at pre-arranged times to suit."

If you can help with either request, or have items of aid to donate, call Bernie on 023 8026 2825 or Don on 023 8032 3996 or 0777 573 8335.

To make a donation of foreign currency, drop it into one of the following outlets:

Anderson, Hiltingbury Road, Chandler's Ford.

Monksbrook News, Hursley Road, Chandler's Ford.

Colemans, Commercial Road, Southampton.

Sakks Menswear, Shamrock Quay, Southampton.

Isaacs, Queensway, Southampton.

Masthead Services, Red Funnel, Southampton.

Masthead Services, Town Quay Square, Southampton.

Southampton Echo shop, Hanover Buildings, Southampton.

Northam News, Northam Road, Northam.

Portswood Post Office, Portswood Road, Portswood.

Rice Adams Post Office, Thornhill Park Road, Thornhill.

Safeway, West End Road, Bitterne.

Swanwick Post Office, Old Swanwick Lane, Swanwick.

Sandy News Ltd, Sandy Lane, Fair Oak.

Alldays, Salisbury Road, Totton.

Goldsmiths, Rumbridge Street, Totton.

Alldays, Station Road, Netley Abbey.

Pickwell Farm, Grange Road, Netley Abbey.

Alldays, Warsash Road, Warsash.

One Stop, Portsmouth Road, Lowford.

Alldays, Marchwood Village Centre, Marchwood.

Arrow News, Jewry Street, Winchester.

Hampshire Chronicle office, High Street, Winchester.

M&J Store, St Cross, Winchester.

Twyford Stores Ltd, High Street, Twyford.

Boyatt News, Boyatt Shopping Centre, Eastleigh.

Eastleigh Echo shop, High Street, Eastleigh.

Blackfield News, Hampton Lane, Blackfield.

Bob and Paula's, Valentine Avenue, Sholing.

Martins, Victoria Road, Woolston.

Balfour, High Street, West End.

Balfour News, Coronation Parade, Hamble.

Calmore Post Office, Calmore Road, Calmore.

County News, West Street, Alresford.

Foyes News, Shirley Road, Shirley.

W H Smith, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Shirley.

Forbuoys, The Cornmarket, Romsey.

Nicway, Warren Gardens, Romsey.

Fareham Echo shop, West Street, Fareham.

Hedge End Post Office, St John's Centre, Hedge End.

Sainsbury's, Hedge End Park, Hedge End.

Harveys News and Food, Main Road, Hounsdown.

Hythe Echo office, The Marsh, Hythe.

Londi, Brookley Road, Brockenhurst.

Londi, Lyndhurst Road, Brockenhurst.

W H Smith, High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight

Village Shop, The Queensmeade Shop, High Street, Beaulieu.

Tesco, Sizer Way, Dibden.