News from Hannan

We have just returned from the most amazing time with the Central Yorkshire County Scouts. 40 Scouts and 6 adults arrived and set up camp in the field next to our land and spent 3 days and 4 nights with us. They began the foundations for our school and house to accommodate teams when they come. Once the building is completed we will use the building as a school for pupils moving from pre-school and for visitors to the charity.

They worked in teams for 3 days mixing cement by hand as the owner of the cement mixer we had hired let us down at the last minute and we could not find another one. They moved boulders and put them in the trenches and almost completed the foundations before they had to leave to go to Merzouga for a Camel trek. It was baking hot so 2 teams would work while others rested and rehydrated and another team would visit local families to see how they lived and ask questions, drink mint tea and have Bouchier a tasty flat bread pancake or other Moroccan delicacies. One team visited the pre-school and repainted the murals on the roof play area walls. On the second night there was a terrible thunder storm and heavy rain. We had a big tent to take all the bags and equipment. The scouts could have just about squeezed in there too but one family who have a big house in the village took all 40 children to sleep overnight. The Scouts were amazed at such sacrifice and kindness saying it did not faze them at all to have 40 children come and stay the night. Haddo was given an honorary member of the Central Yorkshire Scouts on the final evening. He was very pleased. We had a meal prepared of Chicken Tajine and Beef Tajine for the Scouts some locals some children and all the helpers on the final night.