Highlighting the importance and flexibility of plumbing skills, one Huddersfield plumber is taking his expertise to a place where it is desperately needed – West Africa.
Holmfirth man Mark Antrobus will travel to the Gambia later this month in order to work on improving sanitation at a hospital in the remote inland town of Bansang. One of a team of volunteers heading to the West African country, Mark will spend eight days helping to develop and refurbish parts of the hospital, by improving toilet and washing facilities.
Mark, 51, told the Examiner: “I’ve had all my inoculations which have cost more than the return flight! I have got my malaria tablets and had jabs including yellow fever, hepatitis A and B and tetanus.
“I didn’t have the one for rabies but if I get bitten I’ve got 24 hours to get some medical assistance. The fact that I’m going to be in hospital means I’ll get this within minutes. I’m excited to be out there but I’ve got some reservations about what I’m going to see with the quality of life,” he added.
Mark – who is a trustee with the British Plumbing Employers Council – will work at the 160-bed hospital for the duration of his trip. The hospital provides medical care for around 600,000 Gambians and is currently the focus of The Bansang Hospital Appeal, a charity which is working to transform sanitation provisions at the hospital. Funding of just over