10:00am Sunday 22nd November 2009
By Jon Wills
A WELLINGTON woman who until recently had "struggled with more than two flights of stairs" has just completed a six day hike in the mountains of Nepal for charity.
Jan Newton, a manager for adult social care at County Hall in Taunton, was raising money for the New Life Centre in Kathmandu.
Jan said this week: “The children who live at the New Life Centre are physically disabled, many of them as a result of horrific accidents at home as young children are left to care for younger children while families work on the land.
“The money raised – and we have been promised around £12,000 so far -- will be used towards completing the building of a new home for the children.
”The New Life Centre enables the children to access medical support and to go to school so these children can grow up to be independent earning their own living without having to beg in the street.”
Jan added: “The walk was very tough. No concession was given to the children's disability and these were significant.
“One young man has just one leg and walks with the aid of arm crutches, two other boys have only one foot and have crude wooden legs.
“So you can imagine we thought we would be walking slowly to support the children.
“In fact these kind brave generous young people waited and were helping us to walk these steep hillsides.
“The children were a true inspiration and kept us going when we thought we could go no further.”
To contribute to the fund visit: www.justgiving.com/Janice-Newton
© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk