STAFF at a Wotton-under-Edge dental practice are going above and beyond the call of duty to build on the firm’s formidable charity work in Africa.

Chipping Manor Dental Practice has been supporting dental charity Bridge2Aid for the past eight years, with owners Phil and Shaenna Loughnane even scaling Africa’s mighty Mount Kilimanjaro in 2012 for the charity.

Bridge2Aid provides people in developing nations with access to dental pain relief and supports the emergency training of Tanzanian clinical officers.

In total, Chipping Manor has raised more than £200,000 for Bridge2Aid and 19 members of staff have volunteered with the charity in Tanzania.

Now it is working on a life-changing new project which staff hope will revolutionise oral care in the area with a new Tanzanian project.

They are building a new clinic in the East African country which will be twinned with their Wotton-under-Edge business.

Hope Dental Centre in Mwanza, Tanzania, was set up nine years ago and the surplus income from this practice helps fund Bridge2Aid’s work in rural areas.

But the existing practice is now in an appalling state, and is no longer fit for purpose.

Chipping Manor practice manager Ian Stephens has set off to the country to help build the new dental clinic, which is expected to take three months to get up and running.

The manager, who is on a sabbatical from Chipping Manor, is overseeing the construction of the building and will help run the practice once it is completed.

Chipping Manor spokeswoman Shaenna Loughnane said Ian was undertaking a lot of hardwork in getting the practice rebuilt.

“We are very grateful for Ian’s work over there,” she said

To support the dental practice in its work in East Africa, visit www.justgiving.com/chippingmanorshope?