Anneke and Chris Pitts receive the signed cricket bat from Downton School head boy Luke Ridley and head girl Kayleigh Witt, watched by the school council. 10/2/5PLANS to forge links with a Sri Lankan village that was devastated by the tsunami are starting to gather momentum.

Ineke Pitts, who grew up in Downton, but has lived on the island for the last eight years, has been inundated with donations and offers of support after she came up with the idea of twinning areas of Salisbury with villages that were destroyed by the wave.

After travelling around the ruined Sri Lankan coast, distributing aid to people who are still in desperate need, she has chosen to help the villages of Kamburugamuwa and Polhena, on the southern tip of the island.

Polhena lost 60 of its people when the tsunami struck, and now 500 families are trying to survive in the rubble without enough shelter, food or means to earn a living.

Two miles away in Kamburugamuwa, 15 people died and 300 villagers are living in temples after 90 homes and the clinic and school were destroyed.

After raising more than £10,000, Ms Pitts has secured land and permission to build 40 houses for the refugees. She hopes to find funding for another 60.

The Downton Festival Group and Downton School have already lined up a series of events to raise both money and the profile of the project.

As a first step, around 30 pupils from the school signed a cricket bat, which Ineke's father Chris will hand to the children when he travels to Sri Lanka next month.

"They are cricket mad and will love this," he said. "But more importantly it will let the children know that we are thinking about them.

"So many families are in dire need, but we hope this project will bring financial assistance, practical help and emotional support."

A pen pal scheme is being established with schools in Downton and other parts of south Wiltshire and Mr Pitts has been sent heart-rending letters from Sri Lankan children, describing the aftermath of the tsunami.

The group's next project will be a two-day exhibition of arts and information about Sri Lanka at Downton School on April 29, followed by a 10km cross-country run.

Members are also planning a charity auction in June and a southern version of the Highland Games on Downton's Millennium Field in July, followed by an arts and music festival, cycle race and a half-marathon later in the year.

"We want events with substance that both help us achieve our charitable aims, but also allow whole communities here to get involved," said Hugh Radford.

"There is a lot of scope for ideas and we hope we'll be able to set up groups who will be responsible for making things happen."

If you would like to get involved with the twinning scheme, or any of the planned events, contact hughradford@onetel.com