Dedicated volunteers from Essex are again off on a vital mission to provide much-needed relief to Kosovar refugees.

Colchester-based charity 999 to Albania has steadfastly provided essential aid to the people of Albania since its inception.

But now its efforts are increasingly turning towards the troubled Kosovars displaced from their homeland to the neighbouring country.

On Sunday a team of eight professionals, ranging from electricians and plumbers to builders and carpenters, will set off for Albania to turn a derelict building in Korce into accommodation for 120 mentally and physically disabled refugees currently unable to get respite from anywhere.

The working party will toil day and night for eight days to get the building up and running, and a Maltese charity will in turn provide tables, chairs, cutlery, crockery and bed linen to complete the project.

It is hoped the refugees will benefit from the shelter immediately and begin moving in as the party leaves.

999 to Albania's Bob Finch said: "It is a vital project and will provide much-needed relief for those people forced to give up their homes."

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