AN African theme is kick-starting a fund-raising drive to support families in Romania.

Northallerton's New Life Baptist Church is to run a two-month campaign to raise money to help families in Aiud in Transylvania.

Food, clothes and medical supplies will be taken over in November, aiming to prevent parents being forced to put their children in orphanages.

The fund-raising drive gets under way on Friday, with an event dubbed 'Jabulani', a Zulu word for 'be happy'.

It includes a barbecue, a fashion show with clothes from the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, and a disco, and takes place in the High Street church from 6pm.

Tickets cost £1 for adults and 50p for children, from the church in advance. Proceeds will also support the church's work in Ghana, India and the Philippines