|PIC1|Wesley Owen stores (part of the IBS-STL group) throughout the UK threw themselves into collecting Bibles to send to Christians in India this summer, and the Bibles have now arrived safely in Hyderabad.

Over 35,000 were collected in six weeks, to send to pastors and church members who don't have, and cannot afford, their own Bibles. Malcolm Stockdale, Managing Director of the Wesley Owen group, borrowed the idea from the Australian retailers, Koorong.

"Eighteen months ago, they tied up with IBS-STL in India and did a 'Bibles to India' campaign which was very successful. So we thought that when we did our next Bible promotion within Wesley Owen, we would run something similar.

"But I didn't think it would be so successful - I was expecting about five thousand Bibles. People were even donating new ones that they had bought just to send."

Although the response was national, certain areas saw more Bibles donated, with thousands coming into the Inverness shop.

Manager Fi Thomson commented, "We have been overwhelmed by the response from the folks up here. They have really taken this collection to heart. One local church has even had a special blessing service for the Bibles they were donating."

Pete Slee, Manager of the Bath Wesley Owen, said, "One man drove over from Wales with a bootful of Bibles. We can only hope these go and change lives in India."

In Aberdeen, one elderly woman caught the vision and came in each week with bags of Bibles from people in her church. She then went round the local charity shops and bought any Bibles she could find.

Money raised through the Wesley Owen stores in 2007 for their chosen charity, the Dalit Freedom Movement, has now been distributed. Over £30,000 has been put into education, micro-credit, building projects and providing cricket and sports equipment, bought within India, to schools.