Progress of the construction work on the staff accommodation has been slow, as time has been spent preparing the land for cultivation, in readiness for the rains that started in late June. This has meant that the clinic will not be in use until the end of September. However the following have been completed:

1. Extra wash basins, with hot & cold water, have been installed in the consulting room and the treatment room.

2. The two septic tanks have been completed and connected to the outflow pipes from the clinic.

3. We are delighted to report that Seedou Barrow, the Gambian who set up our water borehole, which has been a resounding success, has now just completed fitting the Solar Power to the clinic - more details and photos on the Projects page.

4. He has also installed the Solar powered vaccine fridge, which we had made in the UK – at Bognor Regis and shipped out to the Gambia. The power for this is independent of the clinic supply.

5. The Solar hot water system has also been installed, but we are a little concerned about its position. Photo and details on the Projects page.

6. The roof is currently being fitted to the staff accommodation - much later than had been planned. However, all the internal work can now progress regardless of the rain.

7. There are now 3 weeks to construct the utility building before the start of Ramadan.

8. On the education side the Bakang/Karantaba Primary School has now broken up for holidays and returns in September. We now await the headmaster’s end of school year report, which will be circulated to all the sponsors.

9. The number of children being sponsored continues to grow. It now stands at - 35

10. The Nursery class goes from strength to strength.

Back here in the UK the Spring/Summer fund raising continues unabated. We are very pleased to report the following:

The Ceilidh, held at Risley village hall on Sat 9th May, raised £1,210

The Tandem Parachute Jump that Nichola Deering completed raised £1,186.50

The Summer Luncheon held at Sydnop Hall, on a lovely sunny day, raised £1,305

The “Dawdle down the Derwent” by 5 intrepid pensioners and their friends raised £1,102.50

As you can see this is not far short of £5,000. To achieve this we greatly appreciate all the help and support we have received both from many friends and people we have yet to meet!

Finally, we are going out to The Gambia on 3rd November for the "Official Opening" of the Kankudibi Health Clinic – 4 ½ years since we said YES.