Fire engines revive Somalian friendship

FINALLY, some goods news for the Henley Borama Friendship Association.

We have been twinned with the Somalian city for 30 years but Malcolm Page, the man who started it all, had been considering winding up the association having not heard from Borama for a long time.

He planned to donate its remaining funds of £1,200 to the Edna Adan Hospital and Midwife’s Training School in Hargeisa, the second largest city in Somalia. Then a message arrived from Africa saying that Borama had been donated two Mercedes fire engines despite not having a fire service, station or equipment.

So now Malcolm plans to not only keep the association going but to also start fund-raising to equip the tenders.

“I am delighted by the news from Borama,” he says. “However, I am anxious to get a meeting between the new mayor, once elected, and my contacts from Boroma living in the UK. Then we can talk about taking the project forward.”