Racing driver takes to the sky for Thai orphans

Nick Levantis

In October, racing driver Nick Leventis is planning to leap out of an aeroplane above the Himalayas in a tandem jump from 38,000 feet - higher than nearby Mount Everest. The record attempt is being organised by fundraising charity Global Angels. The funds raised will be donated to projects supported by Thai Children's Trust along the Thai-Burma border.

Last weekend, Nick and his wife Sophie visited Mae Sot to see some of the projects which will benefit, and to meet the children, accompanied by a camera crew which is recording his busy year - recently Nick was fifth in the gruelling Le Mans 24 hour race - the highest placed private entry. The film will include scenes from Le Mans, the visit to the Burma border, and the parachute jump.

The trip included a brief visit to Burma to see a school in the area controlled by the DKBA (Democratic Karen Buddhist Army). The school had wooden benches and a wooden blackboard. There were no books, paper, pencils, crayons or other equipment. There is no electricity or running water. The children are malnourished. The migrant schools in Thailand are poor, but never so poor as this.

Londoners can find out more about the Thai Children's Trust on Sunday, 25 July, when they will be having a stall at the Thai Festival in Battersea Park.

For more information about their work see: www.thaichildrenstrust.org.uk/