University students are off to Nepal to build school a new classroom

Billy Remington, aged 19, will be in Nepal for 17 days in August this year with a group of 10 volunteers who will build the classroom as part of The Big Build 2016. Billy said: “I will be living in a tent with one other volunteer worker of my age. “We are working eight to nine-hour days in order to erect the classroom. “I won’t be able to shower for the entire time, as the only water available is bottled for our consumption. “The school in Nepal was destroyed by the earthquakes last year and hundreds of children were left without education in this small area among many others. “I decided to do the trip because the opportunity to do something like this has never come up before I came to university and Nepal is a place which requires aid such as this for the small villages to be able to educate their children. “The earthquakes last year left a lot of the country in ruins, so it is important we do our utmost to support places in crisis such as Nepal.” Billy is studying English at York University and will be travelling with a group of fellow students. He said: “Hopefully the group of us can really make a difference and also give us a perspective as to how fortunate we are here to have a free education and fresh running water.” In preparation for his trip Billy will need to fill up on food. He said: “There won’t be an abundance of food available over there to eat, as we eat all our meals with the villagers. “I’m more excited to experience life without all the luxuries, I’ll probably just miss my mates more than anything. “The support so far has been great, but I’m hoping local businesses will support me to get closer to my target in July.” Billy went to Parish Church Primary School and then Queen Elizabeth’s High School. To help Billy raise funds, Parish Church Primary is planning a fundraising event. Billy said: “There aren’t any details yet, but it looks like it will be a non-uniform day after Easter.” Billy has always been active and loves sport. He has played cricket for Morton for eight years and was involved in a lot of sport when he was younger in Gainsborough. However, he says he would love to be writer when he has finished at university. Billy has indepentently paid for his flight - but he still needs to raise more than £2,000 toward the building materials needed for the classroom. To make a donation visit https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/billyinnepal