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Friday May 8, 2015
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BATLEY MAN AND HIS WIFE LEAD ’QUAKE RELIEF EFFORT
HEROES OF NEPAL By David Miller News Reporter davidmiller@thepressnews.co.uk
AN ADVENTURER from Batley has helped organise an incredible relief effort in earthquake-hit Nepal. Renowned kayaker Darren Clarkson-King, 39, and wife Andrea were in the country when the massive ’quake struck on April 25. The couple, who run guiding firm Pure Land Expeditions, had no previous experience of disaster relief. But that did not stop them raising funds and buying and ferrying supplies to homeless villagers in a staggering effort. A campaign driven by online social media has seen £20,000 donated by well-wishers. It paid for food, water, sanitation goods and medicines for hundreds of people and the re-stocking of hospitals with vital supplies. The couple are also liaising with search and rescue teams, aid agencies and the Canadian Army. Darren, who grew up on Lark Hill, Upper Batley, said official rescue efforts were initially hampered by red
tape. He said: “We know of search and rescue teams and army units stuck in Kathmandu for four days on arrival, tied up in politics. “As you can imagine, the Nepal government seems to have spent lots of time hindering things. “There still seems to be little coordination, and though outside agencies are getting a handle on things, it’s not happening quickly.” As a result, aid delivered by Darren, Andrea and a team of helpers beat official sources by days. Darren, a former pupil of Batley High School for Boys, lives with Andrea in Pokhara, about 200km west of Kathmandu. The earthquake did little damage there but wrought terrible devastation elsewhere. Centred in the Gorkha district, it was the most powerful earthquake to hit Nepal since the 1930s and killed at least 7,000 people. Whole villages have been wiped out, with homeless survivors sleeping outside and now from suffering chest infections. One of the worst affected is the Bhote area of central Nepal, where many are said to have died. Darren added: “Whole lives have been destroyed. There were many
fatalities and survivors are living next to their levelled houses.” He and Andrea worked methodically with helpers to survey villages to see what was needed. They then hired jeeps and vans, some of which came from India, to ship out the goods bought through their fundraising efforts. And to get to remote places, some aid is being delivered on foot by teams who are walking for up to four days. Darren said: “We worked a system supplying each household with one month’s food, plus shelter – tarps and blankets.” Further surveys led to damaged hospitals being re-stocked, with Darren and Andrea driving loads themselves, often through the night. Along the way they put out house fires caused by damaged electrics using banana leaves due to lack of water. For the first week after the earthquake the couple averaged just three hours’ sleep a night. Darren and Andrea have now handed some of their work over to the Canadian Army, but their own efforts are continuing.
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Batley-born Darren Clarkson-King and wife Andrea