AS Christmas approaches, Scouts across Derby are once more lending Santa a helping hand to deliver thousands of festive cards in aid of charity.

Amazingly, it is 27 years since the Stamp and Deliver scheme was introduced in the city by Julian Hough, of Chaddesden, who was a Venture Scout. It was 1981 and news quickly spread that Christmas cards could not only be delivered cheaply but the service would also raise money for good causes.

"It was hard work but most people were very enthusiastic and it went really very well," said Julian, who worked for British Telecom at the time and came in for some ribbing from his work colleagues.

In the beginning Scouts from Spondon and four other Venture Scout groups organised everything and , in that first festive season, handled 8,900 cards.

But, over the years, the scheme has become so popular that all the Derby and District Scout groups are involved and, last year, more than 200,000 cards were delivered, raising £32,000 for charity in the process.

The photograph above shows some of the dedicated band back in 1985, working out their delivery schedule.

Today, about 1,000 Scouts and their families help deliver cards to homes. But were you among the handful of pioneers who started the scheme? If so, why not write to us?

This year's collections have already started. For more information, call 07930 760655 or go to the scheme's website: webmaster@ StampAndDeliver.com