Glen Blease from Paderborn has been a tireless fund-raiser for the past six years, raising money for many charities, including Cancer Research through the Bobby Moore Fund and Help for Heroes.
For the last five years, Glen has also worked with Project Brazil, renovating a school each year in a deprived area. She also took part in the Great Wall of China trek in 2007 and worked with Project South Africa in 2007 and 2008.
In 2009, Glen trekked to the base camp in Everest, as well as renovating a school in Kenya. In the last three years, she has been involved with a school project in Kenya and a school and water project in Lesotho.
Two of the groups that Glen works with are Friends From Ireland, www.friendsfromireland.ie and HELP, the Human Elephant and Lion Programme, www.volunteeringafrica.org
This year, Glen is embarking on two ventures, the HELP conservation in Namibia and the Galana Dispensary project in Kenya with John Byrne from Friends From Ireland.
The Human, Elephant and Lion programme involves a two week spell of volunteering in Namibia, following endangered lions and elephants in a quest to defuse the conflict with local people that the animals face on a daily basis.
Project units consist of up to 10 volunteers, each with an experienced and well trained field guide.
The Galana Dispensary operates as a front line medical facility and is the primary source of emergency care for many thousands of local rural inhabitants.
The current dispensary struggles to offer the wide range of services needed, with the facility at present consisting of three desperately dilapidated rooms and extremely basic cooking and toilet facilities.
The project will involve renovating the existing building and building a further five rooms in order to provide adequate facilities.
Glen works tirelessly to raise money and relies on people’s generosity donating unwanted items to sell via her Facebook group and at the table top sales she holds the first week of every month at Tigers’ Den on Barker Barracks.
She admits that the fund-raising and projects are extremely hard work but says that they are equally as rewarding.
Glen said: “I would like to thank everybody who has donated items for charity and everybody who has purchased items from me.
“I now have a good stock of clothes, furniture, household goods and toys so if anybody is looking for something in particular, please contact me and I will see what I have available.
“If anyone would like to volunteer to help sort out items ready for sale I would also be very grateful.
“I would like to say a big thank you to Capt Ossie Osborne and his welfare team, for all their continued help and support over the last few years.”
If you would like to donate to Cancer Research or Help for Heroes, Glen has collection boxes around the garrison and NAAFI.
If you would like to donate or take part in this year’s projects or can volunteer to help sort donated goods, Glen can be contacted through her Facebook group ‘BFG Glen Blease Recycling for Charity’.
