The news from Asia really has put everything into perspective this Christmas. With the news that a lady from Colney - in Norwich South - is amongst those killed, I issued the following press release urging people to donate:

Parliamentary spokesman Antony Little has encouraged Norwich to take up Conservative leader Michael Howard’s challenge to the British public to match the £15 million of Government aid to help the victims of the tsunami disaster.

Antony, and his wife Louise, have donated via the special telephone hotline 0870 60 60 900.

Mr Howard said something could be done "at all levels". He said he has himself donated £250 to the appeal fund. He said the British public had always responded generously in the past to disaster appeals and he was confident they would dig deep now. "It would be really good if we could match, as individuals, the £15 million which the Government has pledged," he said. "It would be really terrific if the British people could match the £15 million, doubling the money available for relief."

Speaking at a reception in Norwich, Mr Little said in the areas affected many people survived on as little as a dollar a day, so small sums of money could make a significant impact.

Echoing the words of Michael Howard, Antony said: "The really important thing is that everything that can be done now to get help to the people who need it now should be done. As we speak there are people sitting on rooftops, sitting on hills, without any clean water, at risk of death from disease. And if disease is allowed to get a grip in these areas we face another calamity possibly as big in scale as the one we have just seen from the earthquake and the tsunami."

”Individuals want to help, individuals want to take some responsibility for themselves and I think that is to be encouraged."

“I know how Louise and I felt watching the appeal being made on the BBC and how we feel each time the death toll goes up. Our donation is hopefully one small step to turning somebody’s life around. I urge everybody in Norwich to donate.”