Hi Everyone

Welcome to our third News letter,

Friday 12th April
We collected our van from the hire company, who kindly offered us a discount from their normal rates, we then returned home to start loading. We loaded twenty three wheelchairs plus other numerous items of home made blankets, hats, slippers, basic medication paracetamol, toothpaste and brushes, plasters, bandages, pens, pencils, books and clothing. The van was almost full.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday 13th April
Thanks again to Stena North Sea Freight for sponsoring us with an excellent overnight crossing, from Killingholme. We arrived Sunday morning at the Hook of Holland fresh and ready for the long drive to Romania, going via our friends house in Holland to collect a variety of new clothes, the van is now full to capacity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 16th April

Having had two overnight stops we arrived in the small town of Ghimbav Nr Brasov Tuesday afternoon, time is of the essence, so while Joe, who worked as a senior site manager for a large building company, was checking the state of the building by inspecting the fabric of the building, then making a list of the materials we would be required to buy for the renovation work that needed doing, I was busy unloading some of the wheelchairs and clothes at the children’s homes that we support, it was getting late so we decided to stay the night in Ghimbav.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 17th April

Next morning after breakfast, we had a final check on the renovation work to be done said goodbye to Sonja the lady in charge of the home, and headed South to Baltesti and Matita, on arrival we had coffee with our hosts, and talked about the situation in the surrounding villages. Ion and his wife Maria, had both worked at the village hospital before it was closed due to government cuts, and knew of many people in the area who need help.

Soon we were heading out to meet the people who needed help, the first lady we met had no use in her legs at all and the only way for her to get about was to crawl, the lady was given a blanket and wheelchair, the next person was a man who had been in a road traffic accident while going to work he was paralyzed  from the waist down, and it was impossible for him to get out, he too was treated the same, a wheelchair and blanket, he and his wife cried with thanks. Now she could take him out in the sunshine and fresh air.

Next we called on a lady in her later years that had gone blind after contracting diabetes, she lived with her daughter, she too received the same help, this was just to mention a few! Soon all 23 wheelchairs were distributed to the huge delight of the recipients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday 18th April

Next morning we said goodbye to our hosts heading North to Bacau to make sure everything was Ok with the lights at the special needs school, then to Laza and the villages of Manastirea, Fundatura, & Horsova, on arrival at our friends house more wheelchairs and clothes were given, along with medication, toothpaste and brushes, we had a meal and some village wine then retired too our beds.

We woke up to a lovely morning and we made our way to the village school with pens, pencils, and writing paper, on arriving at the school we found the door locked, but no sooner had we turned to leave when a young man came and told us the sad news that the school had been damaged by fire, but the good news was a new school had been built down the road in Fundatura and today was the official opening, we arrived just in time to see the start of the opening ceremony. The picture shows us with the local village Mayor and Priest.

 

 

 

 

 

Date 21st April – 29th April

After two days working in the village it was time to head back to Ghimbav where the renovation work was waiting, Joe went into overdrive as we started knocking the outer rendering from the walls, it was starting to get hot and at midday the temp was 35°c, we had just nine days in which to complete the wall, lay a concrete path, and to paint set and secure 26 fence posts, it sure was a hard hot job but it was completed on time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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While we were there we took great pleasure in handing over £500 to the house mother at the orphanage which had been donated by the Rotherham Explorer Scouts who had been out helping us in 2012

 

Date 30th April

We now had one last deed to do before heading home, we had been informed of a young lady in the town of Codlea, who was studying languages at university so she could help disable students from around the world, even though she has a disability herself, and before we left UK we talked with the owners of Midland Mobility at Sutton-in-Ashfield, they kindly donated an electric scooter for her, as she drove around for the first time, there were tears of joy and happiness, from both Iulia, and her family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date 1st May

After almost three weeks of giving aid, and working on the house it was time to leave for the Hook of Holland and home.

 

 

We say a Big Thank You to all our Sponsors, & Supporters

 

Stena North Sea Freight, Keepmoat, Crookstone Adventure Trust, St Andrews Church Skegby,  All Saints Church Stanton Hill, Vine Tree Charity Shop,  Kira Supplies Ltd, Seventh-Day Adventist Church Sutton-in-Ashfield, Midland Mobility , Rotherham Explorer Scouts, Sitwell Rotary Club Rotherham,  Alison Francis & Ladies.

 

Best regards and grateful thanks,