A DEDICATED fundraiser has visited the African communities who have benefited over the years from his work for worthy causes.

Matthew Fishwick, from Arnside, has organised fundraising events for several years including initiatives for Comic Relief, Children in Need and local charities in Cumbria and the north west.

The 39-year-old senior project manager for BT paid an emotional visit to vital community projects in South Africa and Lesotho to meet some of the people who have been helped by the events.

When the married dad-of-two found out he was going on the trip, he asked his friends and colleagues to donate second hand football shirts, which could be given to the children supported by the Kick 4 Life charity Lesotho.

The BT group managed to take 250 football shirts.

The experience was very emotional and moving for Matthew, who lives with his two daughters, Holly and Olivia and his wife Bev.

He said: "The whole experience was very humbling. It really made me think about what I have and take for granted as we live in a completely different environment.

“I have been to parts of South Africa before on holiday and that was a totally different world to the places I visited on this trip. I saw with my own eyes the brilliant work of the projects.

"I’ve been deeply inspired by the determination of those infected with HIV in Lesotho, and humbled by the willpower and strength of the young crusaders against sexual abuse in Johannesburg.

“Every person on the trip cried at some point. It's hard to put into words, but the projects are grateful for every penny received.”

He got the chance to see first-hand some of the projects in Africa when he and other BT employees from around the UK visited Lesotho and Johannesburg. Matthew was one of ten BT employees nominated by senior managers to go on the trip.

They visited projects backed by BT through its Supporters Club as well as projects funded through Comic Relief. These included Kick 4 Life (K4L) in Lesotho, which engages local children through football to educate them about HIV; Legal Resources Council in Johannesburg, which provides free legal support for people facing unlawful evictions; and Fight with Insight, a boxing club formed to support abused youngsters.