Dismay as old school equipment is wrecked (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Dismay as old school equipment is wrecked

A CHARITY initiative that planned to take school equipment from Malmesbury to impoverished schools in Africa say they are devastated workmen have left the equipment too badly damaged to be of use.

Piles of chairs, lockers, desks and computers have been emptied out of the school by demolition workers in the past two weeks as they prepare for the building to be flattened.

News of the equipment's impending disposal reached Swindon based Ricky Porter, who wanted to secure it and ship it to schools in Ghana.

Mr Porter, 62, a former boxer once ranked the world's seventh best welterweight, had already shipped out one container of equipment from Swindon schools to the African country.

He took on the task to help his cousin, who moved to Ghana two years ago and subsequently set up the Sonibron Educational Trust to supply much needed facilities to its schools.

To help Mr Porter's quest, the new owner of the old school site, Persimmon Homes, agreed he could take the unwanted equipment away.

After struggling to raise money to pay for a container to ship the gear to Ghana, Mr Porter enlisted the help of Justin Oliver.

Mr Oliver is a founder member of the now disbanded Wiltshire Mercy Appeal set up to help Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, and is now establishing a new charity, Wiltshire Relief.

The two men visited Malmesbury on Monday to assess what they might be able to ship abroad, only to find a bonfire waiting to happen.

Mr Oliver said: "They've just wrecked it and it's no good.

"It's been dumped up on a big pile and now the rain has got into it.

"If it had been explained by Persimmon (to the demolition workers) they would have kept it to one side. It's absolutely horrendous."

Three years ago Malmesbury School moved to its new building in Corn Gastons and took some of the equipment and furniture from Filands with it.

The remainder was offered to other schools or community groups in the area, who took what they felt was useable, and the rest was left in the empty building.

In addition, Mr Oliver said people had been seen in the last fortnight arriving at the school and stealing items, adding to his sense of frustration.

He added: "It's a great, great waste when we could have acted sooner. That stuff would have done about three or four schools."

Mr Porter, added: "It's a crying shame, especially when people are so desperate for it.

"It may be rubbish to people here but to people in Ghana it's a godsend. We don't realise here how lucky we are."