Duns Rotary President, Andrew Lester, said: 'Mary's Meals' is a very successful Scottish-based charity. Quite simply, at a cost of £8.40 per child per year, it provides meals at school for hundreds of thousands of children per day who would otherwise be on the streets, uneducated and at risk.

"Already folk in Duns have kindly given over £1,000 to Rotary collectors enabling us to send two 'Shelter Boxes' straight to Haiti.

"In addition our club have decided to match this giving and are sending £1,000 to Mary's Meals now for their work in Haiti. Building a kitchen for Mary's Meals will enable us here in Berwickshire to have visible linkage with the activities of the charity."

Through a number of events Duns Rotary Club have raised about half of their target and the balance will be raised at a black tie Sportsmans Dinner to be held in Duns Volunteer Hall on February 20.

Dinner organiser, Rotarian Marshall Wilson, said: "The Sportsmans Dinner will be a prestigious event with three course meal, table quiz, large prize raffle, auction of fantastic lots and three top line speakers - Ernie Coe, well known Alnwick humourist, Gary Parker, Radio Scotland sports personality and womens' rugby coach, and Jim Robertson one of the best after dinner speakers on the circuit.

"We would be pleased to receive bids for the auction items from folk in Berwickshire who wish to help build the kitchen for Mary's Meals. Please phone 01361 883771 leave your bid and contact number (all bids will be acknowledged) or go to the Duns Rotary Club website www.rotary-duns.org for details of all 29 auction lpots and how to bid for them."

The auction lots include: A holiday for four in Portugal including eight rounds of golf; Two rods for three days salmon fishing on the River Tweed with accommodation at The Collingwood Hotel, Cornhill; A week's holiday in Lanzarote for four people; A tour of the House of Lords and tea with Lord David Steel; A signed Scottish rugby shirt with authentication.