FROM Milton Keynes with love was the theme of a mercy mission which left the city bound for Sri Lanka on Mothering Sunday.

Members of the city's Tamil community – more than 700 families – joined forces to collect 12 large vanloads of humanitarian supplies to help men, women and children trapped in the civil war zone.

"It was a fantastic response. Everybody helped and we had a huge amount of items donated," said Suresh Nesaratnam from the Milton Keynes Tamil Welfare Association.

These items included urgent medical supplies as well as baby food, powdered milk, rice, lentils and tinned food.

Together with other collections from Tamil people all over the UK, the goods will be shipped to Sri Lanka on the liner Vananga Man leaving Southampton today, Thursday.

The relief cargo will go to help the 200,000 civilians currently trapped in the north of Sri Lanka with no shelter, food or medicine. Already 3,000 people have been killed and 7,000 seriously wounded by bomb attacks.

Caught up in the carnage were 80 orphaned children who are sponsored by the people of Milton Keynes. This month all the orphans managed to miraculously escape and are currently recovering in rehabilitation centres.

Meanwhile the Milton Keynes Tamils, many of whom are desperately worried about friends and family left in Sri Lanka, are hoping the bombing will soon end.

This week the British government was asked to consider striking Sri Lanka out of the Commonwealth unless a ceasefire was agreed.

MP for Milton Keynes South West Phyllis Starkey has already called for a halt to the war and urgent negotiations for a political solution.