ILKLEY Wharfedale Rotary Club has thanked everyone who helped raise more than £2,000 to help destitute children in Nepal.

The Rotary Club has been fundraising for School In A Bag, and says in excess of £2,000 has now been raised from a variety of sources.

Money has been raised through street collections, partly from sales of the club’s charity calendar, and also from a welcome donation from the Concert for the Street Children held in Ilkley just before Christmas.

Rotarian, Andrew Broughton, chairman of the club’s International Committee.said: "Once again we must thank the people of Ilkley for their generosity, and the Concert organisers James and Cathy Griffett in helping us to raise this sum.

“Nepal was one of the worlds poorest countries before the earthquakes, and now the rural economy is devastated along with the tourism and trekking industry which was a mainstay of their economy. We want to help poor Nepali children to a brighter future.”

The earthquakes in Nepal in April and May last year destroyed homes and community buildings such as schools, orphanages and health posts, and devastated vast rural areas which were already impoverished.

Some community buildings are being rebuilt, but even where there is a teacher and some sort of school, the children themselves in many cases have lost most of their possessions and do not have the materials such as paper and pens to help them to learn.

School in a Bag provides destitute children in Nepal with a colourful rucksack full of the things they need to build on whatever education is available to them - exercise books, pens, pencils, a ruler and geometry set.

A plastic water bottle, eating utensils are also provided, and a recent addition following the winter monsoon is a waterproof poncho as many of the children live miles from their school and have to walk there every day.

The rucksacks will be assembled in Kathmandu. They will then be transported to schools and orphanages in remote areas by the Juniper Trust – who undertake trekking and rebuilding projects – with whom the Ilkley Wharfedale Rotary Club have a strong relationship.

The Juniper Trust - which is entirely voluntary and have no administration fees - are currently rebuilding ten schools in rural Nepal – and as the trekking season starts they will transport the rucksacks to the most appropriate locations for distribution.

Mr Broughton added: "It is not uncommon to find in impoverished areas that while there may be a teacher, and some sort of school, the children themselves have no paper or pencils to practice what they have learned and so get full benefit from the teaching."