A CONVOY of aid will leave Newport today for Gaza.

Pippa Bartolotti, from Malpas in Newport, will be on the Viva Palestina Convoy Five which will take much-needed practical equipment out to the people of the area.

The convoy will meet in London and drive on Saturday through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Syria and then sail to Egypt to take the aid in through the Rafah crossing to Gaza.

The journey is estimated to take about 23 days.

Ms Bartolotti will be joining an international convoy which will not only have people from Wales, and the rest of the UK but representatives from Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Italy and Turkey who will be joining in along the way.

Ms Bartolotti said: "The people of South Wales have been magnificent. I started with a long list of requirements for a dental hospital which was damaged in the last round of bombings. It contains the most basic of equipment like scissors and tweezers."

For more information, see www.vivapalestina.org