THORNBURY based charity Holding Out Hope will pay a special Christmas visit to Bulgaria next month.

It is an annual Christmas trip undertaken by the charity where they support 110 adults with learning disabilities who live in extremely poor and dismal conditions at the Samuil Institute run by the Bulgarian government.

Holding Out Hope is the only charity supporting Samuil and without their input the residents would not know it was Christmas.

The charity has also recruited a Romanian volunteer and has entrusted her to take and spend funds for Christmas at the Vidra Institution which is near Bucharest and is ‘home’ to 21 young people who are all HIV positive.

Pete Brady, founder and chairman of Holding Out Hope said “Our new volunteer is well known to us as she is an ex-resident of the Vidra Institution and we have known her for 9 years. She has left the institution and is struggling to remain independent.

“We believe she will be a real asset to the charity, also brilliant that she will be supporting young people with whom she has spent her whole life and is the closest thing to family for her.”

A couple of marathons have been run this year along with other events by the charity’s supporters, which has provided sufficient funds to employ a carer at a children’s home in Sofia, Bulgaria on a part time basis for the next year.

Accompanying Pete to Samuil at Christmas will be Tracy Robbins, a trustee, Emily Brady and Harry Coleman. All volunteers will personally be paying for their flights and raising funds.

The charity would like to thank everyone who has supported them over the past year and would also welcome any prospective new volunteers.

For more information, call Pete on 07514 676484. To make a donation visit: www.holdingouthope.co.uk and the just giving page.