A LYMM girl who escaped from the horror of the Nepal earthquake has launched a fundraising drive to try and help the thousands of people left homeless in the stricken country.
Faith Thomason, aged 21, was on a backpacking holiday with her boyfriend, Harry Donovan, aged 23, from Bowdon and were in Kathmandu when the earthquake struck.
They fled their hotel as buildings were collapsing all around them, suffering only minor bruises and spent three days and two nights under a makeshift tarpaulin shelter before managing to get on one of the first flights out of the country.
Now, safe home in Lymm, Faith said: “I feel as if we could have done more to help. I feel so guilty that we got away when so many others couldn’t. But we were so scared.”
Faith and Harry were backpacking in India and decided to go to Nepal to book a flight around Everest. But the earthquake struck shortly before the flight was due to take place.
They were in a hotel which did not collapse. But the whole building was shaking as they fled down the stairs. Outside it was chaos, with buildings collapsing and people screaming.
Faith said: “It was as if the ground under your feet had turned to liquid. It was the weirdest feeling I have ever experienced. We made for an open field for safety and Harry got some tarpaulin to make a shelter.
“We spent two nights under the tarpaulin but managed to buy a tent for the third night. The was really hot during the day but freezing cold at night and it seemed to be raining all the time.”
For Faith’s mum, Alison, it was a worrying time. She heard about the earthquake and knew that Faith and Harry were in Kathmandu. But fortunately, Harry managed to get a message out via Facebook t within four hours of the news breaking telling everyone that they were all right.
The former Lymm High School student has set up an online appeal through the United Nations children’s charity UNICEF and people who wish to support it will shortly be able to do so at http://myfundraising.unicef.org.uk/MyPage/Faith-Thomason or by calling 0300 330 5580.
The ordeal has not put Faith off backpacking. But she said: “It is so good to be back home in Lymm. We don’t realise how fortunate we are.”
Pictured: Faith, with her mum, Alison, planning the fundraising appeal
