FROM Bispham to Base Camp, a medical worker has told of his charity mission on a trek through Nepal.

Andrew Humphreys, dished out plasters, syringes and other supplies bought by colleagues as he trekked from village to village in Nepal's mountainous Annapurna region.

The 34-year-old who works for the NHS at the National Eye Service, Bristol Avenue, also donated dozens of school books, paid for by workplace Christmas raffles, as he passed poverty-stricken schools on the trek.

"When I was in the capital Kathmandu I managed to buy about 120 school books. The schools have got no educational aids at all. Some of them don't even have blackboards," said Andrew.

"Unfortunately the schools were actually closed at the time because it was winter and it was very cold, but our guide managed to get in contact with all the school teachers as we passed all the villages. They were overwhelmed.

"Basic medical supplies are also scarce so I left plasters, bandages and antiseptic at medical centres along the trek.

"Life in the villages can be very tough but the smiles the children gave as we handed out balloons and sweets were very genuine. It was one of the highlights of the trip."

Andrew and a group of friends were planning the holiday, including two treks and a visit to Everest's Base Camp, when the charity mission took off.

He said: "When I got involved with the organising I saw the other side of it and realised I should really do something, give something back to Nepal."

Andrew, a medical device technician of Eastpines Drive, Anchorsholme, is a keen walker and climber who has also been ski-ing in Norway and visited New Zealand twice.

But nothing prepared him for his culture shock. "We are so well off in this country, with central heating, electricity, a roof over your head, running water. When I came back it was a weird sensation, the only way I could describe it is it was like waking up from an anaesthetic.

"I want to do similar things in future. I definitely want to go back to Nepal. There's just something about it that draws me back," he said.