AN EAST Lancashire Charity was one of the first on the scene as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal.

Within two days of this tragedy occurring, Blackburn based charity ILM UK despatched senior staff members to Ghazipur, India, where several convoys where immediately organised sending essential aid including tents, blankets, water, food, medicine and personal hygiene kits.

ILM UK was one of the first UK charities to enter Nepal putting ‘boots on the ground’ due to the close proximity of their Indian operations to the disaster area.

ILM UK has supplies in storage in Gorakhpur only 120km from the Nepalese border and these supplies continue to be dispatched, keeping children and families safe from danger. Typical costs for building a 40 sq m home equates to £1,000.

Appeal Coordination Manager for ILM UK, Rizwan Ahktar, said: “The British public is incredibly generous and we want to encourage them to continue giving to people in their most desperate need, such as those affected by the earthquake disaster in Nepal.

“We have experience in delivering aid in difficult circumstances in the aftermath of disasters.”