The plight of a disabled Macedonian girl has touched the hearts of Express and Echo readers in Exeter.

Cash and cheques have poured in since the paper highlighted her plight last weekend, declaring on its front page “Don’t Give Up On Her Now”.

Eight-year-old Shefkete Haliti was brought into the UK from an Albanian hospital by nurse Anne Russell-Smith in January, after a fundraising effort to help her get a better start in life.

The youngster, who has mild cerebral palsy, was making great progress at school – but funding was drying up.

Anne turned to the Express and Echo to highlight the need for money to pay for Shefkete’s fees. Within minutes of the newspaper hitting the streets her phone was ringing with offers of support.

From what was an uncertain future, Shefkete’s immediate prospects are much brighter with £1,500 pledged last week alone.

School fees for June and most of July are already taken care of and there is the chance of a new website to help encourage the cash to keep rolling in.

Anne told the paper: “I had gone to bed the night before feeling very low and wondering what would happen. I didn’t think I could cope and I really didn’t know what to do.

“Then the next morning a friend rang to ask if I’d seen the paper. I got the first call offering help at 10.30am and I must have had 25 calls in a row, then after that came all the letters.

“I always thought it would work out but I knew it wouldn’t if I just sat back. I had to do something and people have been just wonderful.”

Her next step is to set up a meeting with Education Secretary David Blunkett to get his approval for Shefkete to go into mainstream education. When Shefkete entered Britain on a student visa, Anne signed to declare that the youngster would not be a drain on taxpayers.

She has already sent him a copy of the paper with the story in it and hopes to meet him when he attends a reception in Bristol next week.

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