Going abroad for a shoe-shopping spree sounds like an ideal way to spend a holiday from work.

But when 25-year-old Amie Duffy bought 35 pairs of shoes, she wasn't just making herself happy.

Instead she was bringing a smile to the faces of orphans in the eastern European country of Moldova, and was buying the footwear with money that had been donated by people and organisations in Pembrokeshire.

Amie - a learning support assistant at Tenby Infants School - was making her second visit to the country after volunteering in the Small Children's Rehabilitation Centre last summer, when she took with her £600 donated by well-wishers.

"I was so touched by the children - many of them disabled - that I was determined to raise more money for them and go back as soon as I could to help," she explained.

Amie, the daughter of Ian and Louise Duffy, of The Green, Tenby, met with a generous response to her fund-raising, which included running the Cardiff half-marathon, and was able to return to Moldova in the Easter holidays with a further £1,800.

"I paid for my own fare and accommodation, so I was able to spend all the money on the children in two orphanages, as well as helping poor families," she said.

"I was originally planning to buy pushchairs and wheelchairs, but it turned out that these had just been donated, so I found out that shoes for the children were desperately needed and bought 35 pairs, some of which were specially made for disabled children."

Nappies, play and baby equipment - including pens and pencils, sensory and soft toys and underwear, and even a new memory card for the orphanage's camera - were also funded by Amie during her 10-day visit, with another smaller orphanage receiving slippers, tights, socks, hairbrushes, hairclips and food.

She also bought food for poor families and helped to pay to fix a widowed mother's roof to enable her to spare her children from being put in an orphanage.

"I am so grateful to everyone who gave me money and items to take out to Moldova - it has helped make such a difference to these children's lives," she said.

"If anyone who donated would like to see how their money has helped, I would be delighted to show them a cd of the pictures I took," added Amie, who can be contacted on [email protected]">[email protected]