A former teacher was so moved by the plight of the people she met in the aftermath of the Bosnian war, she is joining a relief convoy to help refugees in Kosovo.

But Maggie Tookey, who has retired after 23 years teaching at Aireville School, Skipton, is being thwarted in her ambition to take a truck load of aid to the devastated country.

A van she expected to use to drive to Kosovo, with a convoy of wagons travelling out with Canterbury-based British Hum-anitarian Aid, is now not available.

She only has until Tuesday to find another and hopes a generous company can help her.

Maggie, 48, of Farnhill, near Skipton, was moved to join the relief organisation after travelling through Bosnia on a solo-cycling adventure from Greece to Britain in 1997, the first summer after she gave up teaching.

"If I can't find a van in time I'm hoping to go as a relief driver," she said.

"The problem is that people are worried about the insurance situation and the possibility that the van might be lost.

"But the insurance is all sorted out and the vans go in convoy and they have never lost one."

The convoy leaves Dover on Tuesday night on the start of the day round trip which will cover about 6,000 miles.

"I cycled into Bosnia in 1997 and it was very grim. I met a Croatian taxi driver who took me round Sarajevo. The place was in a terrible state and the people were trying hard to get back to normal," she said.

"I saw a number of aid workers and charities and I thought that's what I would like to do."

"I wanted to see what was going on there and it was in a terrible state. The place was devastated. I talked to people - it was very depressing."

She joined the British Humanitarian Aid group, which makes regular trips to Kosovo taking clothes and some medical equipment.

Maggie has even roped in her old school to help by collecting children's clothes and toys for future trips.

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