A young apprentice will be taking part in his ultimate challenge when he heads to the Philippines next year in order to help to rebuild some of the homes that were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.
Apprentice carpenter Luke Naish, who has been working part-time at Merlin Housing Society, has been chosen as one of 12 students to head to the country to help rebuild local communities. The students will focus on the Smokey Mountain former garbage dumpsite in Manila, and will use their skills including bricklaying and plastering to help out with a range of projects over a two-week period.
The students will be working with the UK-based Philippine Community Fund to carry out the rebuilding projects. Luke told 24 Dash: “I applied to take part in the project because I wanted to do something to help after the typhoon.
"It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit another part of the world and to help people. I also think it’s good to understand other cultures and how people live in other parts of the world. I’ll be able to come back and talk about my experiences and maybe encourage other people to help as well,” he added.
Luke currently works installing new windows at people’s homes as part of his apprenticeship with a windows and doors team. He spends the rest of the week studying, and will now focus on fundraising in order to achieve the