TO the day I'm reunited with my maker, the date Saturday, October 8, 2005 will be etched into my heart.

It's the date that 56 people in my home village of Kalyal Sheroo are known to have died, as did many, many thousands of others in a 300-mile radius.

In Worcester, there is not an Asian family that has not been directly affected by this tragedy, the true scale of which is still yet to be revealed. There is talk of 38,000 dead. My suspicion is of considerably more.

I was at home watching

P (Pakistan) News as it relayed live celebrations marking the start of the holy month of Ramadan on what, in Worcester at least, was a rainy Saturday morning.

The image on the TV seemed to shudder and then it just went dead. I thought at first it had been another bomb going off because, in Kashmir, bombs sadly go off rather more regularly than you get to hear of here in Worcester.

When the broadcast resumed about half an hour later, my worst fears were realised: the village I'd called home for 10 years and most of its residents - people I'd known for most of my early life - were gone.

I was left looking at vast holes in the countryside where entire villages had once been - the same villages that I and my family had taken my fellow city councillor Francis Lankester to see just a few years ago.

Kalyal Sheroo is about 180 miles from the worst-hit area of Muzaffarabad - the home of my friend Haris Saleem and close to where another city councillor, Mohammed Riaz, comes from. Both have lost many members of their immediate families and I called them both the minute I heard the scale of the tragedy from a family friend who'd miraculously survived.

There and then we all resolved to do everything we could to help.

With all the natural disasters of the past two years, the demands on the British public have been enormous. But I am urging you all to come to our aid one more time and I know you will respond positively.

ALLAH DITTA'S DIARY: A WEEK OF ACTION

Sunday

Despite their obvious grief, Haris, Mohammed and I met with members of the Muslim Welfare Association to plan a way ahead. By chance, I had already set up the Worcester Pakistan Partnership several months ago. Our first priority was to announce a major fund-raising exercise at the mosque on Friday.

Monday

Already donations are coming in. One Worcester family alone has donated £10,000. As a member of the Rotary Club, I also approached the four Worcester Rotary clubs and all agreed to pitch their full weight behind the campaign. I feel we're really getting somewhere.

Tuesday

At full council, I asked leader Stephen Inman for the city's help to which he readily agreed. I also approached Derek Prodger MBE and he promised to do the same up at County Hall.

Wednesday

Mr Prodger phoned me to say that county council chief executive Rob Sykes and leader Dr George Lord were with us all the way, so I wrote to all council members at both County Hall and at the Guildhall requesting their help. I'd asked for a street collection for last Saturday, October 15, but the date had already been earmarked by another charity and though disappointed, it wouldn't have been fair to them to hold it on the same day. It's now going to be this coming Saturday, October 22.

Thursday

With Rotary's John Bennett, we approached Sainsbury's with a request to hold a collection up at Warndon. Of course, they welcomed the idea. I did the 10am to noon shift, with John and his colleagues continuing the good work up to 4pm.

Friday

BBC Hereford & Worcester gave us live coverage from outside the mosque from 1pm until 6pm. It sparked-off a major response, with many people stopping by to drop off clothes and aid. First indications are that we raised £34,000 in one day.