On October 18th 2006, whilst taking part in the first Charity Cycle Challenge from Chiang Mai to the Golden Triangle the group learned of a mud slide which had engulfed the village of Ban Yang. Situated in Fang Province, in the foothills that border Myanmar, Ban Yang is one of 30 Chinese communities dotted around the region. Making a slight detour to visit the village, the extremity of the situation was wholly apparent, even 8 days after the flash mudslide which killed 5 people, completely destroyed 14 houses and severely damaged 73 dwellings. The army had moved in to take part in the initial clean up and immediate supplies were available for the local inhabitants. True to form, we were made amazingly welcome and once again the humble nature of these people were on show as they kept a smiling face on another adverse situation.

The participants of the ride got to see first hand just how a natural disaster (and in particular, fast flowing water) could devastate a community in such a short time. Ironically, our visit added to the very essence of the ride and as a group we agreed that should there be a need for our help, we would send all the proceeds from the trip to help Ban Yang.

Extract from an email to the Charity Cycle Challenge participants - November 20th 2006

Dear Fellow Riders!

I hope that you have all settled back into the swing of everyday life but hope that our little expedition doesn't feel like a dream.  I'm sure the numb arses/scars or thoughts of stomach cramps are a constant reminder to our achievement. 

I visited Bang Yang at the weekend.  With the help of the Mandarin teacher here at school, contact was made and on Sunday i was given the very best hospitality the village could offer.  I met Mr Ding, the head of the village, Mr Zang, a member of the post flood committee and John, a village member from Singapore who was my interpreter.  They really were the nicest people - honest and genuine about the current situation.  They have documented everything that has been destroyed or affected and given these amenities a percentage which indicates the scale of the damage.  Once this document had been translated and copius amounts of chinese tea had been consumed i was given a tour of the village again.  The major difference is that the huge piles of stacked up debris that had been dredged out of the river has been taken away.  Sites where houses once were have been flattened and leveled off by the army and the buildings with damaged sections have been made safe.  Other than that, the evidence is still very telling and the scar of the event will remain for a while, particularly as we head into the dry season and little vegetation will grow to mask the churned up land.  

So far Bang Yang has received between 3-400,000 Baht (approx 4,285-5,714 pounds) from the Taiwanese authorities and this has been handed out to families already.  The committee make the decision about the amounts given to victims according to the list and the percentage scale of damage they have suffered.  The Thai's and surrounding Chinese villages were excellent at providing short term relief.  However, the long term plan looks less clear.

This is where we can help.  My return trip to Bang Yang really strengthened my opinion that the money you have raised can be utilised to help them.  We did see it in a relatively raw state and one of the things i have come to learn from visiting disaster type areas is that although immediate knee jerk reactions can do good, sometimes it is better to wait until the mud has settled and come back when the shock of the event has worn off.  Bang Yang has stabilised after the initial clean up - however, there is still an awful long way to go and i gained good positive reassurance that the money we donate to them will be appropriated used.  They will provide written reports of where the money will be spent, keep receipts and also document the rebuilding work.  Plus, believe it or not, Bang Yang is only 1hr 45mins away from the school on the motor bike, so i can keep an eye on progress and keep you all updated.  They made me promise that i will stay in their family homes when i return and not overnight in a hotel - they really were lovely.

So, if i can badger you to collect all of the out standing money promised and get it to Home Farm as quickly as possible, we will be able to wire the money to their bank account and they will be able to start giving people their homes back.  Despite Bang Yang following a Chinese calendar, it does feel like a rewarding thing to be doing for us so near to our festive season.

Extract from an email to the Charity Cycle Challenge participants – January 22nd 2007

Dear All,

Just thought i would bring you up to speed regarding the village of Ban Yang. Just before Christmas, the Piers Simon Appeal wired money to the account set up following the landslide and last Sunday i was invited to Ban Yang to hand out the money to the villagers. The committee decided to split our donation 70% / 30% with the biggest proportion being divided amongst the villagers according to the % of damage that they had been affected by. Those who suffered 100% damage received 15,000 baht each, 80% damage - 10,000 baht each, 60% damage - 7,000 baht each, 40% damage - 4,000 baht and 20% damage - 2,900 baht. The remaining 30% of the money will be spent on the village - to help repair the water pipes to enable the people of Ban Yang to get drinking water and to repair the bridge.

The division of funds was the decision of the committee and although the individual amounts will not be enough to build houses, it did allow everyone affected to get a piece of it making it fair to all. It will certainly be good for moral as very little has happened to the village since my last visit in November 2006.

So on Sunday after a customary Chinese tea at the village heads house, i entered the village hall to a round of applause and 70 villagers sitting waiting for the presentation. After a small translated speech we got down to business of handing out the money and having copious photographs taken with each group of recipients before they signed their acceptance of the money. I must say that language is never an issue when people express gratitude - you can see it in their eyes............ and i felt proud that our achievements back in October had brought this community some hope. Thus far we have been their biggest source of financial support and they couldn't have been more grateful.