IF you have any spare jars that are suitable for jams, Clun-based Ruth Mapes would love to hear from you. The jams will help raise cash for a charity that supports rural communities in Mali, all around a city that everyone knows, called Timbuktu.

Since April she has raised £600 for the Joliba Trust by selling jams and plants from a stall at her home. Recently she opened another stall at art and antique dealer Tim Wood's Old Surgery in Clun.

She and her husband Colin worked in Northern Nigeria in the early 1960s. After they came home, they eventually moved to Clun in 1997.

On the way, she discovered the Joliba Trust, which helps the poor of Mali become more self-sufficient in one of the world's most hostile environments on the edge of the Sahara.

Joliba takes its name from a word that means 'riches of life'. Ruth explained: "This is a cause where even a small amount of money can do a lot of good to improve farmers' fields and keep the desert under control.

"Lots of local people have been tremendously supportive, from Tim, who has let me use space in his shop, to Margaret Jones, for making and donating her special fudge."

For once, the weather has helped. "The rains have come at the right time and, thanks to the Trust, they have had the millet seed to plant," Ruth said.

As for the empty jars, if they have lids and can hold a pound (or 454 grammes) of jam, Ruth will be able to make good use of them.