a Bermudian couple.

Mr. Steve Hayward and his wife Mrs. Susie Hayward went to Russia at the end of January bearing gifts of medical supplies, clothes and toys for needy Russians.

In June 1993, Mrs. Hayward first went to Russia with a group of decorative artists.

"We went to learn how they paint and were asked to take gifts for artists and students who worked in the factory where the famous Russian floral trays are painted,'' Mrs. Hayward said.

"We took a lot of different things for men, women and children. We were really moved at how excited they were.'' Mrs. Hayward said the village, where the floral trays are painted, is called Zhostova, which is 40 miles from Moscow.

The factory/school is 150 years old and employs close to 290 people, most of them artist and students.

"The village has seen generations of painters who receive an average wage of $15 -$25 per month.'' At the end of January this year Mrs. Hayward and her husband went to Russia with another group of decorative artists and she wanted to take more supplies with her.

"When I was in England in September last year I heard about the state of hospitals in Russia and how they were short of medical supplies,'' Mrs.

Hayward said.

"Before my husband and I left I contacted the Health Department, department stores, agencies and supermarkets to see if we could get anything to help.

"We ended up taking nine pieces of luggage which carried toys, medical supplies, and clothes.

"They were taken to emergency and children's hospitals at Vladimir in Russia as well as the Moscow Nursing Academy.

"Taking the toys to the children's hospital was quite touching because they had no toys. They told us that nobody had ever brought them anything.'' She added: "They were more than delighted.'' One of the hospitals they went to was The Tushinskaya Children's Hospital which is one of Russia's largest hospitals.

Mrs. Hayward said hospital director Dr. Yuri Pavlov and his staff are heavily handicapped by an acute shortage of both money and even the most basic medical necessities.

"This 1,000-bed hospital has no disinfectants, antibiotics, and drugs are in chronically short supply. But against all odds, Dr. Pavlov and his team are struggling to transform Tushinskaya into a model hospital for the sick children of their deeply troubled country.'' Mrs. Hayward said they also took spark plugs and gardening seeds to people because many have gardens behind their homes.

"We left happy people in Russia. We are trying to do more for their hospitals and clinics.

"And next time we go we would like to get more support.'' Mrs. Hayward also said that the Society of Decorative Painters in the United States were bringing Russian artists over to the US for the decorative artist conference in Pittsburgh in May.

"We will be taking things to give them to take back to Russia.'' she said.

"It was truly a moving experience.'' HELPING PEOPLE -- Mrs. Susie Hayward and her husband Steve went the extra mile to help Russians in need of supplies. Mrs. Hayward holds a Russian floral tray which was painted at the factory she visited.