A LOWTON teenager's memory will live on helping the sick and injured in the mountains of Romania.

The Lowton Churches Romania Appeal has bought a fully equipped ambulance to serve a remote area of the poverty stricken country.

It has been donated in memory of brave James Dickinson, who lost his battle against skin cancer last year.

James, 19, of Winwick Lane, a black belt judo instructor, had visited the country with teams from Lowton's five churches on 12 occasions, working with children with special needs.

Treatment

While undergoing chemotherapy treatment he also arranged a local team to take part in a walk to raise funds for cancer research.

Although the group has managed to purchase the ex-British Army ambulance from Germany, it is appealing for help to raise the £1,000 necessary to transport it over the hazardous 1,500 mile journey.

It will be driven by James' father, John, who will be accompanied by his brother-in-law, Bob Helsby and his wife Wendy, and nephew Paul Fogarty.

The party will set out on Saturday and expect to meet up with John's wife, Gill, a teacher in Rainhill, who is taking a school party skiing on Wednesday.

Gill said: "Relationships between Romania, Lowton and Rainhill High have been ongoing since the revolution of 1989, when our young people were initially involved in aid trips to the desperate country.

"Since then several cultural exchanges have taken place, culminating in our sixth skiing trip-schools exchange.

"Hospital and medical facilities are extremely poor in this part of Romania, as they are in the rest of the country. And although it is a beautiful mountainous area, affording climbing and skiing in magnificent scenery, there is no facility to take accident victims or the chronically ill to hospital.

Difficult

"Few people own cars, so that transport to and from hospital is very difficult. The ambulance will be of immeasurable benefit to the Romanians.

"James enjoyed the rigours of the mountains in both summer and winter and the ambulance in his name will be a fitting tribute to our son."

In a bid to raise money the appeal group has organised a grand draw with a first prize of a Henning Berg Manchester United shirt signed by all the players. Tickets are available from group members.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.