The Oxford Mail has launched a campaign to turn old mobile phones into funds for a new children's accident and emergency centre in Oxford.

Readers are being encouraged to support the fundraising initiative by handing in unwanted mobiles at recycling points across the county.

Oxford Mail editor Jim McClure said: "Waste not and the JR will want not for a children's accident and emergency department. This is a wonderful cause, and what a useful way of raising funds for it."

The phones will be sold for recycling and all proceeds will go directly to The Drayson's Children's Accident and Emergency centre at the John Radcliffe hospital.

The centre will form part of a £16m redevelopment of the hospital's critical care departments, scheduled for completion in 2003.

Tom Mitchell, the Oxford Mail publishing manager, said: "This is an easy way of raising money for such a great project."

The phones will be bought by Cellular Reclamation, a company set up to provide an environmentally safe way of disposing of redundant mobiles and their accessories.

Cellular Reclamation, based in Hereford, will pay between £5 and £30 for the phones, which will enable the Radcliffe Medical Foundation to invest more money in special play areas and family rooms.

Jacqui Martin, the community development officer for the Radcliffe Medical Foundation, said: "The children's A&E department will have its own separate entrance, its own doctors and nursing staff specially trained in the treatment of children, play areas and facilities for parents.

"A&E is not always an ideal place for children to be on a Saturday night. A visit to the A&E department could be a child's first experience of hospital and we want to make it as stress free as possible."

Mrs Martin explained that funding is already in place for the accident and emergency department, but extra money would enable the foundation to provide a higher standard of facilities. She said the recycling campaign could pot- entially raise £20,000 a year.

A total of 35 shops, businesses and organisations have already offered to have a recycling bin but more are needed.

Joe Froome, the clubs, societies and student development officer at Oxford Brookes University, said there has been a good response to the mobile recycling scheme.

Mr Froome said: "We have had mobiles coming in daily and have only had the recycling bin for two weeks.

Members of the public are welcome to hand in their mobiles at the student union in the Helena Kennedy Centre at Oxford Brookes's Headington Hill Campus.

Mobile phone recycling points can also be found at The Hive, in Ely Close, Carterton; Tesco, Oxford Retail Park, Cowley; Sainsbury, Oxford Road, Banbury; Chancellors, London Road, Headington; Information Hut, Milton Business Park, Abingdon; Bookham Technology, Milton Park, Abingdon; e.cell Datacom, Holloway, Cowley; Oxford Brookes University; Mobile Phones Ltd. (Unique Air), Ock Street, Abingdon; the BMW Plant, Cowley, Oxford; The Magdalen Centre, Oxford Science Park; Didcot B Power Station; The Burford Garden Company, Shilton Road, Burford; A.C. Neilson, London Road, Headington; Starbucks Cornmarket Street, Oxford; Newsquest Oxfordshire, Osney Mead, Oxford; the main reception at level two in the John Radcliffe hospital; the Horton Hospital, Banbury; The Churchill Hospital in Headington and the Radcliffe Infirmary.

To help the campaign by having a mobile phone collecting bin, contact Jacqui Martin on 01865 222487.