A YOUNG musician featured last year when he took up the cause of children suffering from the cruel legacy of the Ceaucescu regime in Romania has decided to stay on working in a special school in Baia Mare -- at least for the time being.

Matthew Beaumont's mother Beryl from Tenbury Wells, just back from a first stay with her 28-year-old son, has spoken of her sense of privilege at being allowed to visit several of the 'small family homes' where he works with seriously neglected children transferred from a desolate institution in Gardani.

Moved by the experience she said: "It was wonderful to see how well the children have settled. They are so proud of their few possessions and especially love the photos Matthew has taken of each one of them. They are in frames by their beds.

"Baia Mare is set near countryside and it was great to take a group of children up into the hills to play football and collect wild flowers.

"The work all the volunteers do is so rewarding and I can appreciate why Matthew is now going to stay longer than originally planned. I hope to visit him again and take over the remaining gifts that so many gave at Christmas. The majority of contributions are already in Romania thanks to everyone who contributed."

Matthew keeps in regular touch with the Advertiser after it described his mission last year and launched an appeal for gifts for the children.

Here is his latest communication with us.

"Hope all's well in what I hear is a very warm England. Here the blossom is on the trees and the snow has almost all gone. It's even possible to go out without the thermals on!

"At Christmas many residents of the Tenbury and Ludlow area kindly donated clothes, games and toys for children I work with in the northern reaches of Romania, children who have spent their lives in an horrendous, abusive, neglectful institution in the village of Gardani. Due to overly complex and frustrating reasons we are only able to move children during the school holidays, so it is only recently that another small family home was opened in Baia Mare.

"We took 10 children, aged between 12 and 16, who were already friends in Gardani. Their families live in Baia Mare so will now be closer to their children and hopefully be more able to increase contact with them. The 10 comprise three boys who make a comedy trio it would be hard to parallel; four older girls who have never been allowed make up and now layer it on in abundance; three younger girls who have never owned their own dolls but now play for hours with Barbies and stuffed toys.

"Every room is painted in their favourite colours, co-ordinated and personalised bedding giving each one their own sense of identity. They can bath and shower in hot water for the first time in their lives, and have done so every day since arrival. A pot of face cream and moisturiser, normally enough for a month has lasted three days. these children have never smelled so good!

"Leaving Gardani was emotional. There were tears as they left their friends, but by the end of July all their friends will also be out. The future for all the children is bright, if not always easy. Not one of the children knew their birthdays.

"This spring another 20 children from Gardani are moving back in with their families, 10 more are going into foster placements.

"The conditions in the institutions are like nothing civilised people can ever imagine yet there is hope and there is promise, these 40-children will never have to return there, and by August it will be an empty shell.

"Some of the donations given at Christmas have been passed on to these children. If there is any further support people are interested in giving, please don't hesitate to contact me on matthewhhc@hotmail.com

"Thank you again. Keep well and send my regards to all, Matthew."