Housebuilders go again!!

A selection of photos on the progress can be found here.

 

The team got home on Sunday from the experience of lifetime. We hope to get some reports and more photos and we will put them in a gallery. Come back to see the full story

 

A day by day report from Major Tony Laker

 

The last day - Message 5 from Tarlungeni

 

Today has been very warm yet again with the heat being over 30 deg. Regardless  S/Maj Pugh and myself left the B&B an hour earlier to go and get some more wood lengths to carry on the days work.

We started to build the second room this morning and managed to have all the wall boards up by lunch time. The locals were shocked at the speed the house was taking shape. After lunch we erected some more roof frames and started to cover the roof with weatherproofing. Whilst that was happening a team was also working putting in the insulation in the first room.

By the end of the day the first room was ready for the family to move into and the second room well on its way to being finished.

On the way back to the B&B the cadets were upset that it would soon be time to leave here and wished that they could have achieved more over the period. I can only say that they have all been excellent ambassadors for Nothumbria ACF and couldn’t have asked any more of them.

Tomorrow is a day of and we are travelling to Dracula’s Castle in the heart of Transylvania and then a journey into the mountains, finished off with a BBQ to which they have invited some of their new friends.

 

2nd September 2009 Message 4 from Tarlungeni

 

What a day, everyone has worked so hard and the hot weather hasn’t made it very easy.

First thing this morning we moved the roof frames from Zizin to Tarlungeni. This had to be done by Horse and Cart which is the traditional Romany way of travel. Everyone wanted to ride on the cart so I made the decision who would. Laws and Nicholson got their way and off they went. It is about a half an hour journey by this method. To see them arrive at the village was great, it meant that we were well on our way of completing our task. The family was waiting to watch them arrive too.

By lunch time 4 were in place and off we went to the Charity Centre to have some food which was well deserved. When the cadets start to eat there is no stopping  them and they manage to clear their plates in record time.

After our short lunch break it was back off to the village to carry on working. By the end of the day the frames were in place to cover the first room. The cadets have decided that they want to work a full day tomorrow instead of having a half day off as they so desperately want to see the family move into their new accommodation before leaving. This is a value that could only come from the cadets that have seen the conditions here.

Tomorrow will be a complete challenge as it is our last working day here.

 

1st September 2009 - Message 3 from Tarlungeni

 

Today has been extremely hot, back into the 30+degrees again.

We split into 2 parties today, whilst half went to start making the A frames for the roof, the rest of went back to Tarlungeni to complete the foundations for the second room. It was hard work on the foundations as the concrete had to be mixed and then moved by hand and leveled, but we managed and with the weather it started to dry quite quickly.

The other team excelled too. They managed to make 8 frames throughout the day, well done to them.

I think that this has been the hardest day for us yet but everyone is  still in good spirits and keen to get the work completed.

The cadets have made a lot of new friends in the village and can make themselves understood to a point.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow when things really start coming together.

 

31st August 2009 - Message 2 From Major Laker

 

Hi again,

Well today we all moved to work on site at Tarlungeni. First thing this morning  we moved all the all the Wall Panels to the site then it was down to work. The locals were pleased to see us as over the last two years we have made many friends here and they knew that we were there again to help them. So after a few quick handshakes and hugs we got down to business.

Having the wall panels made previous to moving there made life a lot easier, we could go straight into assembling them. The cadets excelled themselves and have set targets to make each day. I have no doubt that they will achieve them. Whilst some were assembling the panels others were leveling the ground around the site. Seeing the cadets working it encouraged some of the locals to lend a helping hand. The Romanies are proud people and want to learn skills to help themselves.

By the end of work today one room is beginning to take shape. Tomorrow we are completing the foundation for the second room which will be carried out by hand.

CSM Pugh and I are very proud of what the cadets have achieved today. We are taking them to Brasov this evening for a hearty meal.

 

30th August 2009 - Message 1 from Major Laker

 

Well we have just returned from our second working day here. Yesterday the temperature was 34deg, It is a little cooler today with a bit of cloud cover.

We have been working at a Romany villager called Zizin, which the FAST Charity use as a base and workshop. The cadets have been making wall panels ready for taking along to Tarlungeni to start the build of the new house. At the same time a small group is plaster boarding the upstairs of a house which is going to be used as accommodation for volunteers that come here to work.

This afternoon some of us travelled to Tarlungeni to look at what will be involved over the next few days. I have sent a picture of the house that we are going to replace and a picture of the family that we are going to rehouse. It will be hard work but worthwhile especially after seeing the conditions that they are living in at the moment.

We all look forward to moving to the site tomorrow and I will keep you updated of the progress.

 

Sound Bite from Metro Radio's Tony Horn in the Morning on Friday 28th August 2009 as the team left for Amsterdam, and then onto Bucharest.

 

CLICK HERE Sound Bite

 

28th August 2009

A team of young cadets set off this morning from Newcastle Airport to make a difference to a family in Romania. Over the next week the cadets from Northumbria Army Cadet Force are going to build a house for a Romanian family.

The cadets, who were selected from over 400 cadets who make up Y and Z Companies of Northumbria ACF, come from Newcastle, Prudhoe, Ponteland, NorthShields and Monkseaton and are all on the school holidays.

Major Laker, the group leader said "This is the third house project that I've been on and each year the number of cadets who want to go just gets bigger. I would love to take more or do two trips a year because the Romanian families really appreciate what we are doing."

Have you all got your passports??