On December 12, three decades years ago, an aid convoy left Llwyn Isaf, in Wrexham, en route to Romania, the start of what would become the largest gift program in the world.

Moved by the images shown of children in orphanages, after the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime, window-fitter and carpenter Dave Cooke brought together family and friends to send essential items, including medical supplies such as hospital machinery, beds, bandages and medicine, as well as food, bedding and clothing.

Alongside those seven wagons of aid, were a couple thousand shoeboxes, inspired by an idea in the Cooke family to send the children a ‘Christmas stocking’ in a box.

In an attempt to boost the country's population, Ceaușescu had made abortion illegal and introduced significant benefits to mothers who had more than five children, while mothers of at least 10 children were declared "heroine mothers" by the Romanian state. But this led to a large spike in the number of infants abandoned in heart-wrenching conditions in the country's orphanages.

Dave said: “Here I was, just a carpenter, who was not used to seeing children in this kind of condition. The extent of it was massive.

"We really had no idea what the impact of the shoeboxes would be. It was beyond words, the impact they made to these children - who had never received anything, not even a cuddle. In their lives they’d received absolutely zero.”

After that first convoy, Dave never looked back. His charity, Operation Christmas Child, merged with the American organisation Samaritan’s Purse, and grew to become the biggest global gift programme ever, sending 178 million shoeboxes overseas since 1990.

Though Dave has moved on, setting up a new charity Teams4U in 2006, he has always been humbled and amazed by what has been achieved by OCC since its humble beginnings from his garage in Wrexham.

He said: “I’ve always been totally blown away by the generosity received towards the Shoebox Appeal. If it wasn’t for the hours volunteers put in and support from schools, faith groups, and the community, we’d never have been able to spread so much joy and make a difference in the lives of so many children.”

The Leader: Some of the team behind Operation Christmas Child, at the beginning in 1990.Some of the team behind Operation Christmas Child, at the beginning in 1990.

Above: Some of the team behind Operation Christmas Child, at the beginning in 1990.

Dave’s new charity, Teams4U, has an international focus, tackling barriers to education in Sub-Saharan Africa, supporting schoolgirls with washable sanitary wear and improving schools’ access to sanitation.

In addition to this, they partner with local organisations providing extra-curricular activities and essential supplies to orphanages in Belarus.

“Walking away from OCC was a difficult thing to do but I knew I needed to focus on other areas of charity work and build sustainable programs that will bring long-term change. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in a child’s life and that’s still the ethos at Teams4U.”

In 2013 Teams4U set up its own separate Shoebox Appeal, and Dave added: “I know it seems strange that we now run our own distinct appeal, but people kept asking me to start again, take it back to its origins, and really it was quite hard to say no.

"This all began in Wrexham and the North West, and 30 years on I’m frankly amazed we’re still here, giving children a reason to smile at Christmas, all over the world.”

Since running an operation in a tiny back room in Coedpoeth seven years ago, Teams4U has sent more than 220,000 shoeboxes to Belarus, Bosnia, Moldova, Romania, Uganda and Ukraine, and have grown their appeal nationally in the UK from Cumbria to Cornwall.

Dave said: “You know the looks on the children’s faces when they receive a box, that never leaves you.

"These gifts don’t fix the problems in their lives, but they make a difference, showing these children that someone, somewhere cares for them.

"Each box is just a gift, no strings attached, no added conditions, just a box from your hand to theirs, to brighten their day and make them feel special. It doesn’t matter which charity you do a box for, local, international, wherever, what matters is we’re all doing our best to give a child a reason to smile.”

So, what’s next for Dave Cooke? “Poverty hasn’t gone away, so whilst we still have to grapple with global issues of disparity, inequality and the pain caused by discrimination and conflict, I’m going to do my best to keep making whatever difference I can.

"I’m only in my 60s, there’s plenty of fuel in the tank left! I’m supported by an amazing team of staff and volunteers and I feel we all just need to keep working together in pursuit of a fairer world.”

• Teams4U are collecting shoeboxes into their warehouse in Llay (Unit 8, Aerial Road, Llay Ind. Est) until Friday, December 18. You can also sponsor a box, for £15, to be made on your behalf via their donation scheme at www.teams4u.com/sponsor-a-box or call 01978 310110.