A COUPLE from Dent have returned from three months of voluntary work in Sri Lanka with a fresh perspective on how fortunate they are.

Ian and Kathryn Merrick had previously only holidayed in the key tourist areas of the island but decided to fulfil a long-held ambition to help others in a remote rural location.

The couple stayed in the village of Handagamuwa in the Wilgamuwa district in Matale, where they taught conversational English to between 100 and 120 people, ranging from children to adults.

The programme was provided by Travellers Worldwide, a company which manages volunteer projects across the world from Argentina to Nepal.

The pair handed in their notice from the George and Dragon in Dent, where Mr Merrick worked as chef and his wife as hotel manager, to become what they believe were the first Westerners to work in the area as volunteers.

Mr Merrick said: "It might sound corny but I just wanted to go and help. I am fed up of just taking, I want to give. It has taught us to be more respectful of what you have. It was nice to be the first Westerners there and to be helping someone."

Life in Sri Lanka was understandably a far cry from life in the Yorkshire Dales, with temperatures sometimes hitting 46C (114F) through the day and the threat of snakes and elephants after dark.

Mr Merrick said: "We had been on holiday to Sri Lanka a lot of times in the past in the traditional tourist areas and we wanted to go back and try something different, somewhere very remote.

"The house we stayed in had electricity but not all of them did, and it was off more times than it was on. If you wanted to wash, you did it in an irrigation channel. In the schools, all you got was a black board and chalk and they were open-air classrooms.

"There is no play ground, the children just make their own entertainment. They were excellent, so eager to learn."

The pair wrote a report about their time there, which can found in the Sri Lanka section of travellersworldwide.com.

Mr Merrick said if anyone else would like more information on volunteer work, they could contact them on 015396-25561.

May 15, 2003 10:30