Forres optician's dispensing assistant, Marlyn Somers, was recovering back at work at McLachlan Opticians last week carrying out a sponsored abseil the previous weekend. She put her nerves to one side to step off the side of Cullen Viaduct to raise cash for a charity close to her heart.

Marlyn said her abseil experience was fantastic and she was so delighted to have raised a stack of cash for the "Uganda Aid - person to person" charity, she might even consider doing it again.

Although she was a bag of nerves before the event, she said she had been determined to go through with it for the sake of the charity which she founded after visiting Uganda in 2000 as part of a "Sightseers" charity venture and has been supporting ever since.

"It was absolutely fantastic," she said. "As I was ready to go, the girl who was helping just told me to think of Uganda and the next thing I knew I was on the way down. It was a bit scary when we were coming off the wall onto the archway of the viaduct, but it was great."

Marlyn had company on the "long way down" during the abseil from fellow fundraisers – local serviceman, Gav Thornton from 617 Squadron, and Chris Muir, both from Lossiemouth, who were "roped in" by Marlyn to fund-raise for the charity.

"Fund-raising has been difficult this year so we decided to do something a bit different," said Marlyn. "We sure did that with this. We raised £950 between the three of us abseilers ,which will be enough to buy a badly-needed generator. It was a fantastic experience."

Marlyn said that it was all the more important to raise cash so that work on the school building at Bunono in the Kabale District of South West Uganda, which is currently almost at a standstill, can continue.

Since she founded the charity, she has raised nearly £30,000, and is hoping to raise another £30,000 to fully finish the project, with the first chunk of £15,000 needed to build an orphanage block which will have two adjoining rooms for teachers to live in.

Meantime, she is looking forward to heading back out to Bunono School on May 14 for a three-week visit, where she will be heading up a team of four other women, including her employer, Edith McLachlan from McLachlan Opticians, who is going to lend a hand and see the project Marlyn has told her all about at work. Also going along are mother and daughter team, Dorothy and Mhairi Kennedy from Motherwell.

"Dorothy is a retired teacher who is hoping to help a bit in the school," said Marlyn. "Her daughter is going to help us set up laptops we have bought for the school and teach the teachers how to use them, once we have the generator, which will power them, up and running."

She said that Dorothy had already contributed to the project by carrying out fund-raising ventures, including walking The West Highland Way last year.

Marlyn's sister-in-law, Elizabeth Masterson from Jersey, who already helps support some of the children from the village financially and wants to go out and meet the people and help Marlyn, is also preparing for the trip.

Marlyn is hoping to have enough cash in the budget to purchase a printing machine for the school.

It's a long way down for Forres dispensing assistant Marlyn Somers who completed a sponsored abseil down Cullen Viaduct.

She originally got involved with Bunono after her visit in 2000 where she was so moved by the plight of the people she met that she decided to try and help improve their living conditions by providing new buildings, including a school with a community room, an accommodation block with two teachers' rooms, as well as providing the means for the people to support themselves and help with projects to support the local economy.

The fund-raising abseil was held to raise enough cash to buy a generator for the village, to extend the power supply currently offered by solar panels which have already been purchased by the charity and are used regularly to provide power, including light at the school for evening lessons.

"It never ceases to amaze me how much support we have had," said Marlyn. "I am very grateful to everyone who has helped us. I just want to get on with the building, it goes so slowly, but it's happening."

She has been fund-raising since 2004 to replace the crumbling mud hut buildings and has funded her own visits practically every year to maintain a hands-on link with the project and oversee works going on.

Her dedication has attracted a lot of donations and some sponsorship, including around £7,000 given by London based plastic surgeon, Dr Rita Rakus, whose cash built the main school wing which was named the "Viktor Wing" after her late brother, Viktor Rakus.

Meantime, Marlyn, who is busy getting ready for her trip during May, said that it was important that she raised as much cash as possible to buy materials for the project in Kabale, which she said was also a way of supporting the local economy.

"We were offered a generator and have been offered other bits and pieces over the years," she said. "The trouble is the amount of money that you have to pay to get the things over there, so its easier to buy them in the country, which also supports the local economy."

She has also helped with the purchase of school materials for the children, such as computers, and bought sewing machines and material for the local women's group to provide an income for them. Each machine costs about £100, including fabrics and equipment.

One of the aims of the "Uganda Aid Person to Person charity" is to create an adequate income to sustain and promote quality education and make the school a model facility, by helping to fund college courses to improve the competency of teachers which will generate better performance from pupils and increase enrolment.

Marlyn also revealed that villagers have honoured her by building a purpose built mud hut in her honour, so that she has a home of her own in the village.

Anyone wanting to hold a fund-raiser for the charity or contribute to the cause can contact Marlyn at the opticians on 01309 675089 or visit the website www.bunonoschooluganda.org

t.mclaren@forres-gazette.co.uk

All smiles after completing a sponsored abseil down Cullen Viaduct is local fundraiser Marlyn Somers who had company on the "long way down" from local serviceman, Gav Thornton from 617 squadron and Chris Muir (right) from Lossiemouth who volunteered to fundraise for the "Uganda Aid - Person to Person" charity by completing the abseil with her.

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