Rugby club scrums to the aid of charity

Thousands of Christmas presents will be delivered to children in Belarus after members of a local rugby club lent a hand to a snowed-in charity.

Preston Lodge rugby club came to the aid of international charity Samaritan's Purse when a lorry going to pick up presents from its East Lothian depot was held back by snow.

Players and their families turned out to carry more than 10,000 Christmas parcels from the depot to the lorry so they could be delivered on time.

Club development officer Douglas Thomson said: "I didn't have to push hard to get a lot of volunteers down to the depot. It was brilliant, everyone wanted to help out.

"Tragically, there are millions of underprivileged kids in the world today and these boxes mean the world to them.

"We were really proud of what we achieved. It made us take time to think about others and be thankful for what we have here at Preston Lodge."

Chris Thomson, Scottish regional manager for Samaritan's Purse, said: "We had to get the gifts away from the East Lothian depot so the driver could get across Europe before Christmas. The club said they'd love to help and they were brilliant."