A FORMER Parr High School pupil is helping homeless refugees on the long road home to Kosovo.

Twenty-two-year-old Guardsman Partington - 'Parto' to his mates - is serving with the 1st Battalion, The Irish Guards, as part of the British contingent of the multi-national Kosovo Peacekeeping Force (KFOR).

Deployed initially to the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia at the beginning of February, the unit, equipped with the Warrior Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle went on manoeuvres in preparation for the recent liberation of Kosovo.

In addition to tactical training, including mine clearance drills, 'Parto' has been part of a large team which helped run the Brazda refugee camp which consists of 3,000 tents and has provided shelter, food and aid for an estimated 30,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees prior to their return home.

'Parto' said: "My training has enabled me to spend my time here helping lots of refugees. But working so hard can get lonely and we enjoy getting letters from home so much that we have a competition to see who gets the most. Even though we are very busy we try to write back to all our friends and family."

Guardsman Partington, whose mother lives in Parr, joined the army in 1997 and has since served in Canada, Germany and Greece.

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