A TEENAGE plumbing apprentice has been helping improve the water supply for a small community in Nepal.

Sophie Richards, 18, from Staunton near Coleford has just returned from a five-week volunteering trip.

The former Monmouth Comprehensive School pupil said: “My brother went to volunteer in Nepal first and then my two sisters went.

“They came back and told me how amazing it was, so that encouraged me to go with volunteering group Raleigh International.”

Sophie has been an apprentice at EcoBlue Plumbing and Heating in Coleford for nearly a year, while studying for her diploma at Gloucestershire College in Cinderford. 

Through her apprenticeship, she has had the opportunity to build on her plumbing skills in the local area, which she then used in a completely different setting.

EcoBlue Plumbing and Heating’s Elaine Screen said: “We were more than happy for her to go, it was off her own back and it was such a good experience for her.”

Sophie went to Charkune Piple Dada, which has only 16 households, and worked as part of a team for 21 days to improve the water supply.

This included building pipelines, which involves threading and cutting the pipes, and digging two distribution lines, installing 19 tap stands and a water storage tank. 

“It was hard work but it was really worthwhile,” Sophie said. 

Fundraising also had to be done for supplies such as equipment, pipe lines and taps. The donations came from Sophie’s family, friends and the local community, as she raised nearly £2,000, including through an 800-mile ride with her dad from Land’s End to John o’ Groats. 

She stayed with a local family in Nepal and used basic hand signs to communicate.

She also ran three educational sessions, which included teaching the seven steps of hand washing, teaching children games they could play with each other to make friends, and a session with the women of the community, where they shared hygiene tips. 

“It was challenging, the communication mostly through hand actions, but it was a really good experience,” said Sophie. 

“The chance to go out to a different country and give something to a community is a brilliant feeling.”