10:25am Monday 3rd August 2009
By Robert Downes
A STUDENT from Sale has given up his summer holiday to take part in a month long charity expedition to Romania.
Former Sale Grammar School pupil Jack Battersby, currently studying at Durham University, will join a 10-man relief mission to an isolated settlement in Transylvania.
Once there the group will undertake essential renovations to the village’s run down housing supply and workshops in what’s one of the country’s poorest areas.
“Since the collapse of communism in 1989, attempts to build a stable democracy have left a large portion of the population struggling to make a living, and Romania's income level remains one of the lowest in the European Union,” said the Northenden Road teenager.
“I chose this cause because it’ll be the first time a group from the UK has been to this area to undertake charity work. This means it's a pioneering project, and it will be my group's responsibility to lay foundations for future work over there. So we'll be the first ones there and have a good chance to establish a relationship with the young people over there.”
So far Jack has raised £1,200 in sponsorship, most of it from an acoustic music evening in Durham, did bag packing at a supermarket, and carried out street collections.
Last week he attended a meeting of Sale Rotary Club and gave a presentation about the trip, explaining to members there the kind of work the mission will hope to accomplish. Afterwards members agreed to donate £300.
“The presentation at the Rotary went really well,” added Jack. “It was the first time I'd come into contact with the group, so I learnt a lot about the good work they do and the international links they have. I've also been invited back there when I return from Romania to give a presentation on what I did.”
If you would like to sponsor Jack, and learn more about the work he’ll be doing in Romania, visit justgiving.com/jackbattersby.
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