A WELLINGTON man has reached out to the town for support in his mission to build a new school in rural Nepal.

Simon David, the manager of the Dulux centre in Chelston has been chosen, along with 11 others from within Dulux's parent company AkzoNobel, to embark on an exciting mission to improve educational opportunities for 150 children in the small village of Chitwan in Nepal.

It won't be the first time the company has intervened in the Asian country to boost educational prospects. In 2018 a Dulux-sponsored team travelled to the Devghat area of the country to help re-build a school following an earthquake.

A local man for two decades, Mr David is well known around Wellington, not least for co-hosting the regular house music event Shuffle in local venues.

Mr David said when he saw the opportunity to join the project, he jumped at the prospect, eager to contribute to the good cause. He said:

“Dulux is part of AkzoNobel, who employ about 40,000 people across 153 countries. They invited applications and I thought I had to apply, but I never thought for a second I would be chosen.  “I had the good news just before Christmas that I made the team. The cause is about bringing education which I think should be a fundamental human right especially for children.  “When you see the conditions of these children in rural Nepal who travel for hours by rickety bus - their current school has leaks, it floods in the rainy season, it is not conducive to learning.  “It is essential that people have education so that they can develop and thrive within modern society." AzkoNobel is funding the project, including flights and other costs for its workers who will spend 16 days in Nepal. But Mr David is appealing for help in a separate fundraising campaign, 'every penny' of which will contribute to the project and the 'right people.' He explained:

"We are flying out from Heathrow on November 8 and will be in Nepal for 16 days before flying back. I am blessed to work for a company that will give me a weeks worth of holiday and cover my costs to fly. So every single penny that we raise will go to the project.  “All the money we raise will go to the right people. Each member of the team is launching their own fundraising campaign."

As well as a new school, the children of Chitwan might also get a taste of house music. A classically trained musician who was once dubbed the 'British youth champion conductor', Mr David is passionate about music. Though he said taking his DJ decks to Nepal might be a bit of a logistical challenge - he didn't rule out exporting house music in some other form.

Mr David said he was inspired to 'give back', expressing his view on the importance of providing good education for all children, whatever the geography. Having contributed to a number of charities, including to help raise £2,000 for St Margaret's Hospice in an abseil challenge last year, Mr David is now ready to go even further and join a team of strangers to help make a big difference.

Mr David had a message for Wellington residents, asking them to chip in to his campaign with ideas as well as funds. He said: "Come at me with ideas, join me in this journey and yes I am looking for donations, raffle prizes or whatever it may be. But if you are interested in it, come and talk to me about fundraising.  “Come and see me in store, if you’re decorating your house come and see me, we’ll look after you."

To support Simon's campaign, visit his Gofundme page.