Cheryl's mission to help others (From Gazette Series)

Cheryl's mission to help others

BATTLING against breast cancer would be a big enough challenge for most of us. This year, however, Dursley woman Cheryl Butterworth has not only fought the illness but has also shown great strength through her personal quest to help those who survived the Boxing Day tsunami in South East Asia. Gazette reporter Liza-Jane Gillespie met the ex-teacher ahead of her planned return to recovering regions in Thailand.

IN AUTUMN last year Thailand's most popular resorts provided a breathtaking backdrop for one woman's year-long sabbatical.

Cheryl Butterworth, from Dursley, had decided to take a year out from her job as a Religious Studies teacher at Castle School in Thornbury and travel the world. Mrs Butterworth, 48, was looking for a change in direction after her children had grown up and left home.

She said: "My youngest had just gone off to university and I wanted to see what else was out there."

After several months enjoying different cultures Mrs Butterworth returned to Britain for Christmas.

She told the Gazette: "I was quite keen to stay on Phi Phi island for the holidays but I had already booked a flight.

"You can imagine my shock on Boxing Day when I heard about the tsunami.

"I just knew if I had stayed there I would have drowned.

"I also became very concerned about the people I had met and befriended during my trip."

Like many people watching the devastation caused by the tsunami, Mrs Butterworth wanted to help. She was already planning to revisit Thailand in January of this year but after seeing the devastated areas she had only recently been exploring, she decided then and there to book a flight.

Mrs Butterworth said: "There were lots of people going out at this point so I waited for the initial flow of people to drop."

Mrs Butterworth arrived in Khao Lack, one of the worst hit regions of Thailand, in late January.

She said: "The organisations out there providing help were in real need of volunteers. The monsoon season had started and the long-term volunteers were tired. They had already seen and experienced so much in the early days after the tsunami."

Mrs Butterworth spent the next seven months helping to clear the sheer devastation including beach clearing - something the Thai people were afraid to do in case of another wave.

She said: "With every day and every tide came more debris.

"Suitcases, televisions, passports and even bodies were being washed up but the Thai people wouldn't clear it up because they were scared."

During her voluntary stint, Mrs Butterworth drew on her skills as a teacher to help set up schools and train new teachers in the country.

Charity 4Kali - set up by an American couple who lost their daughter in the tsunami - was looking for an education co-ordinator and Mrs Butterworth saw the opportunity as her calling.

She said: "I had helped train teachers at Bristol University for some years. I have also been involved in international education so I thought this was something I could do well to help.

"My main role was to assess the needs of the local children and help train students from the USA who wanted to help but had no teaching experience."

Mrs Butterworth also became involved with a camp which helped house immigrant Burmese workers.

She said: "They had nothing and the children just sat doing nothing all day.

"For several weeks I would go to their camp and hand out books and crayons and after a while I gathered all the children and started trying to interact with them."

In August Mrs Butterworth returned home for her daughter's wedding with every intention of going back to Khao Lack.

However, during her visit she faced every woman's worst nightmare - she was told she had an early form of breast cancer. But Mrs Butterworth's focus remained on getting back to Thailand.

She said: "The staff at Gloucester Royal Hospital have been amazing. "They have shown such support and understanding.

"They also appreciate my frustration with my treatment and wanting to get back to Thailand."

While Mrs Butterworth was receiving treatment for her cancer, no-one was filling her place as education co-ordinator in Khao Lack.

She said: "These children lost everything and they need our help.

"Education is so important to them, both the children and teachers need support from their international colleagues."

After one final operation this month Mrs Butterworth hopes to return to Thailand in time for the first year anniversary of the tsunami where she can continue the work she started.

She is currently looking for sponsorship to help fund her trip but would also like to hear from anyone who would consider working as a volunteer.

She said: "We have to keep up the help.

"People need to be reminded that a lot still needs to be done in the countries that were struck by the tsunami.

"Some of the volunteers have been out there almost a year and have seen a lot. They are now ready to come home but don't want to leave when so much more needs to be done."

For information about Mrs Butterworth's work or to sponsor her next visit to Thailand go to www.tsunamivolunteer2004.blogspot.com

More information about the 4Kali charity visit www.4kali.org