|TOP|The Salvation Army is offering a more meaningful alternative to the usual overdose of chocolate eggs this Easter by encouraging people to buy a chicken for underprivileged people in the developing world.

For just £6.50 people can buy a chicken for someone in the developing world from The Salvation Army’s gift catalogue, Gifts that keep on giving, and break the £500million that Britons shell out each year on around 80 million Easter eggs.

The amount that Britons spend on Easter eggs each year is enough to supply nearly 77 million chickens to people in the developing world, equivalent to billions of eggs. The Salvation Army is urging people to forget the usual chocolate egg binge in favour of buying one of their chickens.

“Easter means a lot of different things for different people,” commented Duncan Parker, International Development Director (UK) for The Salvation Army.

|AD|“For some people it’s a religious festival, for others it’s a few days off work to do some jobs around the house, and for some it’s an excuse to eat a bit more chocolate than usual.

“We’d like to encourage people this Easter to save putting on a few pounds, and spend a few pounds on someone who could really do with a helping hand.

“Just one chicken is enough to give someone in the developing world a chance of a future,” he said.

The Salvation Army gift catalogue offers 40 humanitarian alternatives to the usual gift giving, with gifts ranging from just £1 to £1,000 so that everyone, regardless of budget, has a chance to make a difference to communities in the developing world.

Gifts on offer include not just chickens but also fishing boats for Indonesian fishermen who have lost their livelihood in the Tsunami as well as toys for children in hospital.

To order the gift catalogue contact the International Development Team on 020 7367 4777 or email international.development@salvationarmy.org.uk Alternatively, gifts can be purchased online at www.salvationarmy.org.uk/internationaldevelopment