Rotary Club of Wensleydale
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Home | International Projects | Friends of Govi Press Release
WENSLEYDALE Rotarians had a chance on Monday to see the vehicle which some of their members will be driving to the Gambia in January, and to hear about the fund raising efforts to help blind children in that country.
One of their members, David Pointon, is a trustee of a charity (the Friends of Govi UK) which supports the only school for blind children in the Gambia. But only a small percentage of the visually impaired and blind children there can attend that school.
His latest project is aimed at training Gambian teachers to help those who have to attend mainstream schools. For that the vehicle will need to be adapted and equipped so it can be used for assessment of children as well as training their teachers.
The fund raising activities include a concert by Leyburn Band at Aysgarth Church at 7.30pm on Saturday, June 27. The church is one of this popular band's favourite venues thanks to its excellent acoustics and new performance area.
The vehicle, a left-hand drive Renault motorhome which he and Ken Nicholas found on ebay, will be on show at the church that evening. Very soon the kitchen unit in the vehicle will be removed to make space for the equipment needed for the work in the Gambia.
Mr Nicholas, a Wensleydale ambulance technician, is again joining Mr Pointon on an overland journey to the Gambia to help blind children there. The other members of the team in January are Rotarians Bob Hughes and David Milner, along with their wives, Janet Hughes and Linda Milner.
A Rotary club in the Gambia is supporting the Wensleydale club in its efforts to raise funds for this project.
Tickets for the concert cost £6 (£2 for under 18s) and are available at the door on the night, or from Milners of Leyburn, Reeth Tourist Information Office, or see www.pipspatch.com. For information about the Friends of Govi UK see www.friendsofgovi.org.uk