the letter received from Phil is interesting as such but you might be interested in how this contact came about.

Before having decided to "purchase" the greenhouse in the UK, they contacted a company in South Africa. That company referred them to AGRA in Namibia. Shirley Hutchison, the chief buyer of AGRA referred them to African Building Supplies. We discussed the project with Phil via e-mail and found out that:

This world is the size of a soccer ball.

Regards,
Hans Gert

Dear Hans Gert,

What a fantastic 3 weeks in wonderful Namibia. The expedition was hugely enjoyable and a remarkable success in many ways. The 14 BGS students were superb. Everyone (leaders and students) got on so well together to make the whole experience one not to forget.

One part of the expedition included adventure pursuits such as quad biking and dune boarding in the Namib desert, catamaran sailing out of Walvis bay and white water rafting on the Kunene River.

A second part took us through majestic desert and scrub savanna landscapes and introduced us to the magnificent variety of wildlife in the Etosha wilderness Reserve and on the Waterberg Plateau.

The third part lasted only 3 days but in many ways was the rationale for the whole expedition.It was a community project that was undertaken at a school in the remote village of Okaepe in NE Namibia.

We had made contact with this school earlier in the year and pledged to help it and its pupils. Over the cours eof this year, many people and organisations in the UK gave us help in the form of clothing, school equipment, sports equipment and donations. We air freighted over 1500kgs of materials in 75 boxes via Air Namibia who generously waived their usual
freight charges. The biggest problem was clearing customs in Namibia. Many thanks here to Puye Hilokuah of Otweya travel in Windhoek, Ester Limbo of the Namibian Ministry of Education and the persistence and persuasion of Richard Norton, leader of the expedition.

Most of the boxes that arrived at Okaepe project School were clothing and equipment but we were also able to supply over 70 mattresses we had bought in Windhoek. The school is a boarding school but not as we would know it in the UK. The children slept on the floor in hostels and it is the Headteacher's ambition to eventually provide mattresses for every child.

A major part of the help we gave to Okaepe Project School was the construction of a polytunnel greenhouse. Many thanks to Clovis (Polytunnels) Ltd who gave us a massive price reduction and to Yorkshire Water Authority who paid for the balance (thanks Gillian Wardman). A big problem was that in this arid environment there was no soil. So we had to make some. In the vicinity we found some well rotted goat manure, decaying tree bark, silt and clay from a drying up lake bed and used ash from the outdoor fires that are used at the school to cook the pupils meals. Teachers, pupils, parents, village elders and officials at Okaepe were amazed at what we were doing. There is nothing like this type of farming in this dry part of Namibia. Eventually, the polytunnel had a soil, seeds were planted in seed trays, onion sets in the soil and a potting table made out of the freight pallets. The polytunnel will provide the school with some of their food requirements but its main use will be as an educational resource.

The pupils, of the San and Herrero ethnic groups, were inquisitive, intelligent, delightful and a pleasure to work and play with. On one day there was an official ceremony with national anthems, presentations and speeches from the Director of Education for northern Namibia, the Headteacher and Richard Norton. It was also remembered that this expedition was the inspiration of Peter Wilby, a teacher at Batley GS and C/O of the CCF who had tragically passed away only 5 months earlier. He would have been proud that it was possible for the leaders and student-expeditioners of Batley GS to bring to fulfilment his dream of an expedition that combined adventure, the natural world and a community project for less advantaged children.

Thank you to all those many people who have made this a reality and have helped to make a difference to so many lives ... individuals are too many to list but particular thanks must go to Phil Paley, whose expertise in freight export was invaluable, Saturn Distribution of Shaw Cross Dewsbury for their generosity in getting the freight from Batley GS to Prestige Air Cargo at Feltham where it was assembled on pallets, Air Namibia for waiving charges, Clovis Polytunnels of Tonbridge in Kent, Yorkshire Water Authority, IKEA, the pupils of Priestley house(Batley GS Junior School), the pupils of Gomersal First School and the Cubs of the 12th Spen Valley at Hightown. Thank you also to those many friends and contacts made in Namibia. Their encouragement was important at times when we wondered if all this would ever materialise.

Namibia gets in your blood. It is a diverse country but one with pride, hope and a real future. It will be a privilege to return.

Attached are 2 or 3 photos from the many thousands taken and those eventually selected for our presentation DVD.

Yours,
Phil Gott (co-leader)