AN appeal to help a school in tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka has been launched by a Bolton man who witnessed the tidal wave devastation first hand.

Astley Bridge Cricket Club chairman Ron Fallows - who was on holiday in Sri Lanka when the waves struck - is desperate to raise money for the school in the remote village of Wadu Llawattu, which is being run from a hut.

The school escaped the devastation caused by the tsunami but many of the children have been left with mental scars.

Mr Fallows said: "I went out to Sri Lanka on holiday last year and I fell in love with the school and the work they are doing for the kids there."

Mr Fallows has spent the past 12 months raising money for the school - sending supplies and clothes for the students.

Now he, his brother, Dave, and friend Ajit Patel, wants Boltonians to dig deep and help raise the £1,000 needed to help the school survive another 12 months.

He said: "These children have got nothing. There is no electricity, they cook on an open fire.

"There are 54 students cramped into a 10 foot shanty hut, which is somebody's home.

"Last year, we sent out pens, pencils, rubbers and some clothes and when I went out there the kids absolutely loved it.

"We want to do a proper appeal, to help keep the school running."

Mr Fallows, aged 56, who lives in Sharples, had been visiting the Sri Lankan capital Colombo as a guest of the Bolton club's cricket professional, Amal Dalugoda, over Christmas.

He narrowly escaped the tidal waves by taking a detour from a coastal road just minutes before the disaster struck.

He watched cars and lorries were washed away as waves swamped the coastline.

Mr Fallows remained in Sri Lanka to help the relief effort.

Mr Fallows said: "I saw things a grown man should not have to see - bodies floating past me - it was unimaginable.

"At first I thought it was just a local earthquake. I didn't appreciate the enormity of what went on. Because the electricity was down, we could not see the TV.

"I sent my wife a text message saying I was okay, but she did not receive it for a number of hours.

"None of my family could get through so they were panicking. But they finally did get through."

To contribute to the appeal, call Mr Fallows on 07801 343062, Dave on 07979 442286, or Ajit on 07793 727407.