MORE old school uniforms from Garelochhead have been given a new lease of life thousands of miles away in Africa.

Pupils at Saloum Nursery School in The Gambia have been showing off their new clothes which were donated by children and parents at Garelochhead Primary School.

Tony Davidson, who has lived in the ‘smiling coast’ for more than 20 years, collected polo shirts, jumpers, stationary and books from the village to take back out to his adopted home.

Tony, 63, has lived in the country since 1996 and has spent much of that time helping children in the country.

READ MORE: Tony tells of extraordinary tale from Garelochhead to Gambia

The Advertiser reported on his last mercy mission back in November, when Tony, who is originally from Liverpool. described his desire to make a positive difference to the lives of children in his adopted homeland.

And he said the youngsters were thrilled with the delivery of goodies.

He said: “It was a great day for me as I had the pleasure of being greeted by 99 children all with the biggest smile on their faces.

“There are 48 boys and 51 girls at the school which is in the middle of building a third classroom so that the class sizes can be reduced.

“It really got to me as I handed the items over and it put a big tear in my eye.

“They sang for me and every one of them had to shake my hand.”

READ MORE: Helensburgh churches raise £1,200 for Christian Aid

Last year’s donation of old Garelochhead school clothes and equipment was sparked by a decision to give the school’s official uniform a makeover - prompting a suggestion from pupil Allana Roy that the items should be passed on to a good cause, rather than being thrown away.

Tony’s daughter Katy lives in Garelochhead and he regularly returns to the village to visit both his daughter and his grandchildren and to collect more donations.

If you would like to donate to a future shipment, or just find out more information, visit Tony’s Facebook page at ‘Have a Gander for Gambia’.