A former nurse has released a children's storybook in memory of her mother.

Karina Meachin is celebrating the release of her first book, The Little Humanitarian.

The book is based on the real experiences of volunteers at Hope and Aid Direct, a UK-based charity that delivers humanitarian aid to those in need.

The Little Humanitarian looks at the difficulties many people face due to war and poverty, with proceeds from the sales helping to support the charity's work.

Author Karina said: "The book tells such an important message.

"We are truly delighted and excited to share this with everyone, children and adults alike.

"It has been a huge learning curve for a small team who had absolutely no publishing experience and naïvely thought it would be a simple process.

"The feedback we've got so far has been tremendous."

Author, Karina Meachin (Credit: Karina Meachin)

Karina has lived in Macclesfield most of her life, previously working at the hospital's intensive care unit before spending many years as an oncology clinical trials project manager at AstraZeneca.

The 67-year-old discovered Hope and Aid Direct shortly following her mother's death in 2016.

"My mother was a refugee from the Winter War and then the Continuation War, during which time a quarter of a million Finnish people lost their homes," Karina said.

"The situation was quite similar to what is happening in Ukraine now and to be honest I'm quite glad mum is not around to see what is happening as it would break her heart.

"The trauma of being a displaced person remained with her for the whole of her life.

"During her dying days in 2016, she saw refugees escaping the war in Syria and could really empathise with what they were going through."

Karina's 99-year-old dad reading The Little Humanitarian (Credit: Karina Meachin)

Hope and Aid Direct have been providing humanitarian aid to war-torn and poverty-stricken areas across Europe since 1999.

From 2022 onwards, the focus has primarily been on Ukraine, with the charity currently preparing to send over their 92nd truck filled with supplies.

In 2024, Hope and Aid Direct celebrated its 25th anniversary with a Christmas advent calendar, celebrating some of their achievements.

This inspired Karina to take these successes and turn them into a story for children.

She said: "We thought it would be a great idea to turn the real experiences and achievements of Hope and Aid Direct into a children's storybook to help children understand how small acts of kindness can make such a difference to others in this rather troubled world."

Poster for the book launch in Prestbury (Credit: Karina Meachin)

Karina and Hope and Aid Direct will host an official book launch at Prestbury Village Club on Monday, November 10.

There will also be a variety of unique handmade Christmas crafts to purchase.