LIONS clubs in Huddersfield and district are digging deep to rebuild a village in Sri Lanka devastated by the Asian tsunami.

Groups in Denby Dale, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Brighouse, Holmfirth and Meltham have already pledged cash to build 25 homes for families in eastern Sri Lanka.

Senior Lion Gordon Lazenby, 62, from Castleford, dropped everything and flew to the stricken country on January 3.

Mr Lazenby, representing Yorkshire and Northern Derbyshire Lions, said more money was still needed if the dream was to be realised.

The Lions want to built an entire community - houses, sanitation, boats and even a village hall.

Mr Lazenby said: "When I went out there I was amazed by the destruction. There were houses that had been swept a mile inland.

"Thousands of people lost their lives in Sri Lanka and thousands more need our help right now. The need is not going away.

"People have said that now the initial money has been raised we have done our bit. That is totally wrong.

"We want to build a Lions' Village. That does not mean just houses but somewhere people can actually live. Some 95% of all the fishing boats in Sri Lanka were ruined after the tsunami.

"Things like that are important now," said Mr Lazenby.

Now a programme of events to raise more cash is being planned.

* Generous workers at a Turnbridge engineering firm raised £10,356 for victims. Holset Engineering in St Andrew's Road matched more than £5,000 raised by employees holding a number of events

* Denise Yeadon, who chairs the Meltham Churches Together group, organised a bring- and-buy sale and raised a whopping £6,500

* Children from the Barbara Peters School of Dancing at Holmfirth Civic Hall, touched by the disaster, gave their Christmas presents to help the appeal.

* Dewsbury ambulance workers gave £1,000 from their own funds to the fundraising efforts

* Kind-hearted children from Meltham C of E Junior School reached deep into their piggy banks when they returned to school after the Christmas and new year break. They gave their pocket money to help people hit by the disaster

* Huddersfield New College did its bit for the appeal. Staff and students rallied round with a fundraising effort and collected £1,550 in just 48 hours

* The 45th Huddersfield (Newsome) Cubs and Beavers raised £455. Youngsters spent meetings in the kitchen, baking produce to sell at a fundraising event

* Mirfield Rotary Club raised £5,600 for victims of the tsunami in under a month. Members held a number of events and donations were collected from Mirfield Free Grammar School and the town's firefighters

* The Cuckoo's Nest in Peel Street, Marsden, gave £2,000 - two weeks' takings - to help survivors of the disaster

* Parents at Kirkheaton Parish Playgroup raised £521. The playgroup, based in the Old School House, sent £100 to the appeal, then raised £421 with a coffee morning and bring- and-buy sale