Care worker joins return trek to Nepal

A NORTH Ayrshire Council worker is to trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Residential care worker Paul Flood is taking part in the trek to raise funds for improved sanitation in remote schools.

Paul, who works at Achnamara Children’s Unit in Saltcoats, has already been to Nepal twice with Who Cares? Scotland, the young people’s advocacy organisation.

Along with a team of young people living in residential care, he completed a two-and-a-half week trek in the Himalayas in 2009, and returned on a similar trip in 2010.

He said: “During the first trek we passed through a couple of schools that were very remote, one of which was Chiti Tilahar school, which had no running water.”

Who Cares? Scotland pledged £3000 towards a clean water system and Paul returned to the school in 2010 to help the villagers install it.

He is now raising funds to support local villages and schools during the team’s return to Nepal to trek to Everest Base Camp in October.

North Ayrshire Council has donated £2000 towards the charity effort. Its spokeswoman for health and social care, Councillor Anthea Dickson, said: “Paul and the young people involved have already achieved a great deal in raising funds and awareness for impoverished children in Nepal, and looked-after children at home. I would like to wish them well in their fundraising efforts and for the trek.”