Day 12

We set off to school on another glorious morning but needed rain to replenish our water supplies so we stopped at the river to fill our jerry cans, which proved to be highly amusing for the locals

At the nightly briefing we decided to appoint a daily store manager to ensure tools were looked after and to provide a list supplies required for the next day’s work. We also allocated teams for the week.

The day was a roaring success; the amount of work we got through was phenomenal – glass fitted, walls plastered, walls painted, ground works underway. The atmosphere on site was excellent, with some great camaraderie between us and the trainees.

One highlight of the day was a PE lesson and dance on the grass which we all joined in with, much to the amusement of the school. We went back to the lodge for a planning meeting and an early night, tired but happy.

Day 13

Another glorious morning.  Driving to work was a joy, with the mountains shining in the sun. Again, we were all with our allocated teams and work set off at a furious pace.

The transformation of the school is amazing with one room almost complete and the others well along the way – such a massive difference from when arrived a few short days ago.

The team spirit is fantastic with great banter. Luckily, the weather stayed fine all day (it is rainy season, by the way) meaning another day of huge improvements to the school, productivity sky high.

As we packed away the heavens opened and a deluge of biblical proportions hit us. We went back to the lodge tired but buzzing with another successful day under our belts. Again, following a quick briefing, it was an early night for all.

Day 14

Sorry for being repetitive but we set off on another glorious day, stopping at the river to replenish our water supplies, then straight to the site. The work is moving on apace and the bond between the trainees and the team is growing stronger every day.

At 10.30am we had a presentation of thanks from the schoolchildren and some local dignitaries – the mayor, the head of the church in the region, the head of police and – just to top it – two members of the Ugandan parliament. It was a really great show of appreciation from the people of Fort Portal.

The children had rehearsed several song and dance routines, which was extremely moving. The mayor gave a very warm speech, thanking all of us. It was then time to reciprocate and Colin Knox and Kevin Bean spoke on behalf of the team.

It wasn’t nerve-wracking in the least and both speeches went down well.  In the afternoon it started pouring down again so work was moved indoors.

This meant progress inside went ahead in leaps and bounds – one room even had the finishing paint applied. Tonight is our weekly treat: a trip into town for pizza. I think we’ve earned it.

Day 15             

Shock horror! Went to work today and it wasn’t a glorious morning, it was cloudy. After yesterday’s deluge most of the ground works was halted so we worked inside again.

The rooms are really coming on and will be finished ahead of schedule. It was a humid and draining day, although this didn’t stop productivity.

As we where clearing up a couple of schoolchildren popped their heads in and said: “Thank you for your work, we really appreciate it – God bless you.” That’s why we are here.

Day 16

Another overcast morning but still hot. We had our usual stop at the river to fill our jerry cans. The day got hotter so working was difficult but didn’t affect output.

Again, lots got done – one room complete, three others nearly finished, ground work moving along apace, dry stone walls flying up. As we were winding down we had surprise.

At the presentation ceremony with the civic dignitaries, our colleagues from the North West Training Council donated two new football kits to the school.

So, in the afternoon, two classes came out, sporting their new kits, to play a match in our honour. We watched from the sides, surrounded by schoolchildren who seemed more interested in us than the match!

We had planned an evening out but, as we had worked so hard in the heat, we decided on a quiet night in the lodge. The big treat will be tomorrow. After work we are going on a weekend away in the Queen Elizabeth Game Reserve – can’t wait!

Day 17

Went to site today but everyone was a bit giddy with excitement, anticipating the pending safari.

Work was all outside on ground work, front and back. All our efforts meant remarkable progress was made: the front was landscaped and the back was levelled.  After a quick turnaround we set off on safari!

The landscape was stunning and, as an added bonus, we stopped at the equator and walked over.

We entered Queen Elizabeth National Park and were simply astonished by the majesty of the surroundings – towering volcanic mountains covered in lush forests and, at their base, deep blue lakes.

The journey, though, was arduous but riveting – the team spotted elephants, gazelles, warthogs and a myriad of colourful birds. Our destination was a mountain lodge, where we dined with bats flitting around us and forest creatures providing the background noise. After a pleasant meal we made our way to our accommodation, where a hippo was wandering freely around.

We were all tired but excited and went to bed knowing tomorrow would bring even more wonders.

Day 18

Woke up in stifling heat – a good sign for a safari (apparently). Breakfast was interesting, to say the least, as a hippo casually strolled past – closely followed by a family of warthogs – while we were eating.

That’s something you don’t see every day. The jeep safari was a hot affair and we spied elephants, warthogs and various antelopes on the trip. We then went to the jetty for a river cruise.

Several parties where leaving at the same time as us. The other parties boarded old-style riverboats, with passengers in life-jackets sitting particularly uncomfortably on rows of wooden benches.

Then we spotted our launch – a new, purpose-built 16-seater vessel with curved leather seating and a viewing deck above. The cruise itself was a joy as we meandered down the channel between lakes George and Edward.

It was like being in an episode of David Attenborough’s Life On Earth. Cape buffalo grazed at the water’s edge, hippos wallowed in the shallows, Nile crocodiles lazed on the bank and elephants lazily made their way down to the water.

The profusion of birds was amazing; multi-coloured kingfishers darting in and out of the water and majestic sea eagles perched on tree tops, surveying their surroundings. We spotted a lion, but it proved elusive as we managed only the merest glimpse as it sauntered up the mountain in the foliage.

After two-and-half hours the cruise was over but we were all thoroughly impressed with what we had witnessed.

With a slightly heavy heart we left QENP and set off back to Fort Portal. On the way we experienced the most almighty electrical storm, made all the more vivid as the flashes lit up the whole area because there are no streetlights.

Back at base, we had a quick briefing.

As it is our final week there is a steely resolve within the group. We want to kick on and get as much done as possible – watch us go!

Day 19

Another very hot morning but, as we had had an early night, we were raring to go and made a quick stop at the hardware store to pick up much-needed supplies for the project. On site, the day was spent more or less putting finishing touches to the school block – final licks of paint, cleaning windows, landscaping.

We are ahead of schedule due to all our hard graft so we started moving materials down to the next block in preparation for making a start. Ste deserves a special mention as his job was painting the roof – no mean feat in the sweltering heat; he has several burns off the metal roof to prove it. 

The group are now aware the clock is ticking and we want to get as much done as possible in our remaining time.

Day 20

A cool morning.  We were all pleased as it meant we would not sweat too much. It was a great day – lots got done. The best part was the fact that it was my birthday!

Ste had been working on the roof and painted “Happy Birthday, Col” in big letters, a really nice touch. Talking of the roof, we had run out of funding to complete it.

Luckily, one of the renovation team, Trev Traynor – who had funded the trip himself – discovered that more sponsorship had come in. He had received a donation of £100 from the PFA, of all places, while he had been away.

So we can now say the roof has been finished by the PFA! Tonight we are going out for a birthday meal. I’ve already had my presents – a totally loud African shirt and a card signed by everyone at work:  something I will treasure. It was a strange birthday but a great one.