THE closest friendships are often forged in adversity. And in the suffering, loss and despair wreaked by the tsunami a year ago, the seeds of some very special relationships took root.

Many said the tragedy, which claimed 225,000 lives, brought the world a bit closer together, but for some it created an inseparable bond that has turned distant communities into neighbours.

Among the frenzy of giving and donations, two new charities were formed in Salisbury and Downton that have forged a friendship between south Wiltshire and Sri Lanka.

Clare Allen Crook's world changed forever when the Sri Lankan beach holiday she was enjoying with her husband William and daughter Daisy turned into a nightmare.

The family had to scramble to safety when the wave struck but, amazingly, the water stopped a metre from the hotel where they stayed.

After seeing for herself the heartbreaking scenes of destruction, Clare, together with fellow holidaymakers, launched an appeal to help the survivors who had been left with nothing.

A year later, Rebuilding Sri Lanka is a well-respected charity that has raised £350,000.

It supports 24 Sri Lankan schools, has helped fishermen back to work with a boat-building scheme, has built permanent and temporary housing for hundreds of refugees, has distributed food and medical supplies, has constructed toilets and given money to people so that they could recover their livelihoods.

"If you told me a year ago I would be running a charity and spending five months of the year out in Sri Lanka, I would never have believed you," said Clare.

"But sometimes, you feel so moved by what personally affects you that it changes your whole life."

Clare gave up her profession in photography and devotes all her time to running the charity, which involves regular trips to Sri Lanka to observe the projects.

"There is an enormous amount to do lots of paperwork, spending time with donors, publicity, fundraising functions and overseeing our Sri Lankan team," she said.

"You have to be accountable you are spending other people's money, so I have taken our donors to see what we do, and they have given again and again."

More than 100 small charities and non-governmental organisations were set up in Sri Lanka after the tsunami and Clare said they have been effective in getting aid to hard-to-reach areas.

They have also presented the opportunity to build strong links and personal relationships between communities.

"People here have been fantastic they have had a connection on an emotional level," Clare said.

"For example, at La Retraite School, they have done an enormous amount of fundraising, written to pen pals and continued to care when the media was focusing on other regions and tragedies."

Clare spent Boxing Day at an orphanage supported by Rebuilding Sri Lanka, cooking Christmas dinner for 56 girls and the staff.

"This work gives you fulfilment, humility and a better understanding of humanity," she said.

"It opens your eyes.

"As soon as I leave Sri Lanka, I yearn to go back.

"Coming back to Salisbury and queuing in Tesco is a real culture shock."

Over the past year, Clare has become firm friends with Ineke Pitts, who formed Downton Friends of Tsunami with her father, Chris, who sadly died earlier this year.

The charity has focussed attention on building new homes in the devastated village of Kamburugamuwa.

After an arduous journey to secure land and planning permission, construction work is now under way.

A team of dedicated fundraisers in Downton has been backing the project with regular money-spinning events, including a charity auction, a half-marathon and an art exhibition that included heart-wrenching drawings by children orphaned in the tsunami.

The village also hosted a music festival and has started a 2010 club, to ensure regular donations over five years.

The generosity of their supporters gave a group of Sri Lankan teenagers a much-needed psychological boost, when they helped them to bring a drama production called Children of the Sea to the Edinburgh Festival.

The show, which brought many in the audience to tears, won critical acclaim and, more importantly, showed many of the traumatised youngsters that they could smile again.

During her travels in Sri Lanka, Ineke has met thousands of people in great need.

She tells of her experiences in her regular newsletters to her Downton friends, who enthusiastically raise money to ease their plight.

"There are not enough words to express the love and gratitude that I have experienced as a result of other people's kindness. It is a worthy tribute to the memory of a wonderful father, who is still very much evident in all my work out there," says Ineke.

Recently, the charity helped a couple who desperately needed to pay for a heart operation for their four-year-old daughter, and they have also transformed the fortunes of youngsters in a school for the deaf and blind, built a new house for a family with three disabled children and provided dowries to help poor young women find a brighter future.

The charity has also given counselling and emotional support to the tsunami victims, who saw their whole lives swept away with the wave.

"It's amazing that two charities from the Salisbury area have been working in Sri Lanka we have been able to give each other a lot of support," said Clare.

Both Rebuilding Sri Lanka and the Downton Friends have long-term plans for their projects but emphasise that they need to find greater funds.

"Vast numbers of people are still living in the most appalling conditions, with temporary housing on land that is quite toxic," said Clare.

"In places, there is nothing but rubble, and the poverty is dreadful.

"Rebuilding Sri Lanka is going to take years.

"But we want to thank everyone for their support so far their money has gone such a long way.

"The connection between this area and Sri Lanka is huge and it has made the most incredible difference."

To find out more, visit the link below, or call Hugh Radford, of Downton Friends of Tsunami, on 01725 511110, or e-mail hughradford.cryptara@tiscali.co.uk.