FORMER Penarth Mayor Nigel Gibbs returned to Lesotho this week to strengthen the links between our town and Tayatayaneng.

He took with him a letter from Penarth Town Council, which will assist him in this process. He is also seeking to bring closer together Llandough Hospital, where he works, and the hospital in TY (the understandably shortened name of the town!).

Mr Gibbs is one of the trustees of the Penarth and District Lesotho Trust, which has been working for over five years to build the Tayatayaneng Junior Academy on its new site, which the Lesothan government gave to headteacher Godfrey Kakende and his staff.

The school lost its previous rented site when the landlord evicted the staff, preferring to house a funeral parlour at the premises, which would bring him a higher rent.

This facility was sadly increasingly needed, with the spread of AIDS/HIV, and more than 100 orphans of the epidemic make up over half of the total population of the school.

Mr Gibbs is being accompanied on his return visit by Rosemary and Jeremy Dix (Secretary), Dilwyn Samuel (Treasurer) and Keith Howells, all trustees of PADLT. They are supported by friends of PADLT in the party of 11, which left Cardiff Airport on Monday.

They hope to witness the building of permanent classrooms, in one of the last phases of this total re-creation of new school premises.

Dormitories, so badly needed for the many orphaned pupils at this largely residential school, were the first phase of the rebuilding process and other buildings following.

Some £2,500 of PADLT funds, acquired through the many events organised by the Trust which the people of Penarth and district have generously supported, has been sent to Mr. Kakende for the purchase of bricks and other building materials.

The trustees of PADLT are very grateful for all the help and support that has been received in recent years.

The next fundraising events include the Annual Penarth Churches Fun Run in Cosmeston Park on Saturday, May 7; and the Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 21, to be held in Stanwell Road Baptist Church Hall (next to the Paget Rooms).

Howard England, a PADLT trustee who is co-ordinating the Plant Sale, is urging past supporters of this annual event to ‘get planting and get those seedlings ready’.

New contributors are most welcome - for further information ring Howard on 029 2070 0232.

The country of Lesotho, which lies within South Africa but is a sovereign state, has been twinned with Wales for over 20 years.

Nigel Gibbs and his fellow travellers will report on the developments that have taken place within the school upon their return.