SAINTS footballers are among dozens of the rich and famous inviting the public to step into their shoes to bring Christmas joy to needy children in war-torn Kosovo.

Paul Jones, Jason Dodd and David Hughes have donated their footwear to a charity auction to raise cash for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox appeal, run by Samaritan's Purse International and backed by the Daily Echo.

Operation Christmas Child has been a great success in Hampshire, thanks to Daily Echo readers.

We asked for help in reaching a goal of 80,000 shoeboxes full to the brim with goodies from Hampshire to be sent to children in eastern Europe.

And the appeal is well on its way to making that target with 60,000 already collected.

Around 20,000 have been dispatched with the remainder awaiting processing in a warehouse. Other celebrities offering their shoes to the highest bidder include actress and model Liz Hurley, soap stars Barbara Windsor, Wendy Richards and Amanda Barrie, Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli and TV personalities Carol Vorderman, Bobby Davro, Ant and Dec and Sarah Greene.

Norweb Energi is auctioning the celebrity shoes to fuel the flight of the appeal, which is sending 750,000 shoeboxes of Christmas gifts from across the country to deprived youngsters in the Balkans.

Anyone who wants to be in the celebrities' footwear should send sealed bids to Kate Hopper at Communique Public Relations Ltd, Waterside, No. 2 Canal Street, Manchester, M1 3HE. Those who make the highest offers will be sent the shoes in time for Christmas.

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