HEALTH worker Andrew Martin is taking a well-earned break from the baking hot Amazon rain forests of Brazil. Andrew is back in Bolton for a holiday and is hoping to raise money for the villagers he helps. The 33-year-old from Horwich is part of a team working for the charity UNAIS International which is searching out new cases of leprosy and administering effective treatment.

The aim is to help wipe out the disease.

But the workers desperately need bandages and creams to help the leprosy sufferers.

While Andrew is back in England he will be approaching the Royal Bolton Hospital and medical centres in the hope of securing medicines and bandages.

He said: "They may have out of date stock which can't be used over here which we would welcome."

Andrew is also hoping to raise around £1,000 to buy vital equipment and is appealing for donations of any unwanted equipment, including a much-needed lap-top computer and a typewriter. Andrew expects to be continuing with his vital work in Labrea, in the heart of the rain forest, for the next 18 months.

The work involves checking people for the first signs of the disease. Contrary to popular belief if leprosy is caught in time it can be successfully treated.

Although Andrew is always concerned about what is going on in the remote communities he visits, he still keeps a close eye on the results of his favourite football team, Bolton Wanderers, through the BBC World Service.

He has a ticket for the Chelsea match and is looking forward to his trip to London at the weekend.

Anyone who can help Andrew with donations of money or items can contact him on Bolton 669175.

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