Lord and Lady Prescott launch Roll Out the Barrel for Africa

Former Deputy Leader of the U.K. Labour Party, Lord John Prescottt and his wife, Lady (Pauline) Prescott were recently in Gibraltar on a private visit. The couple enjoyed an informal lunch in a local Restaurant, The Landings, with their friends of many years, Gordon Vickers, owner of the Mill & Spa Hotel in Chester and a local Rotarian and Joe Bossano, Minister for Employment. Also present were the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo and Rotarian, Lyana Armstrong-Emery.


Lord Prescott was so interested in learning all about the project 'Roll out the Barrel for Africa' he donated and autographed the first barrel. No sooner done he jokingly said "you had better make that two!" A reference to the various sobriquets (nicknames) made by the media during his political career and referring to 'two jags Prescott'.

Gordon Vickers said "The project is being organised locally by the Rotary Club of Gibraltar. It involves sending as many as possible 40 litre water barrels to Africa so that families can roll the barrels of water instead of carrying the water on their heads over great distances.The barrels only cost £30 each. I'm delighted that Lord Prescott has sponsored the barrels and am sure that it will bring joy to a family or two in Africa." In support, the Chief Minister very kindly added his own barrel.

Fact: Over 2.4 billion people in the world have to collect and carry water from wells, pumps, taps, streams or rivers in containers as small as a bottle or as large as a small oil drum. The average distance that women and children in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world walk to collect and carry the water is six to ten kilometres every day. the average weight of water that women in Africa and Asia carry on their heads or backs can be anything up to thirty kilos (children as young as four years carry five to ten kilos!) - the equivalent of your airport luggage allowance. For more information visit http://www.rolloutthebarrel.org/

Anyone wishing to sponsor a barrel or make a donation should send a cheque made out to Rotary Club of Gibraltar and write on the reverse side 'water barrels'. Cheques should be sent to P O Box 676, Gibraltar.