RESCUE volunteers from south Wiltshire-based charities have been helping communities rebuild schools and orphanages in Haiti after the country was hit by a devastating hurricane.

Team Rubicon UK (TRUK) and Serve On teamed up to bring desperately needed aid and the remaining volunteers returned to the UK last week.

In the days after Hurricane Matthew hit, Team Rubicon deployed a team of volunteers to help, including trained chainsaw operators to clear roads which had only been accessible by helicopter and allow aid to get through the local communities.

And with roads opened they were able to work with Hope for Haiti to deliver materials in order to repair community buildings and other basic infrastructure.

Serve On supported Team Rubicon, who are based in Chilmark, with practical assistance such as transport and logistics and later Serve On's Craig Elsdon and David ‘Jacko’ Jackson later joined Team Rubicon on the ground to help provide communications and security expertise.

The two charities joined forces with local communities helping rebuild schools, orphanages and kindergartens which were in an appalling state - putting new roofs on the buildings and making them safe to use once more.

Team Rubicon operations manager Dan Cooke, who led a team of volunteers out there, said: “I have learnt over the years that you have to engage people in their country’s own recovery. It is much more powerful and longer lasting help.”

He says Haiti was a “challenging place” with volunteers having to cope with the hot and humid conditions as well as rain and flooding.

“We have delivered an amazing amount in a short period and done a lot.”

The charities in conjunction with Airlink , Bell Helicopters and Hope for Haiti also helped to deliver 21,000 meals by air to those in need.

Craig, who is operations manager at Serve On, which is based in Salisbury, added: "It is an honour and privilege to be part of the team and to be able to go out and work with Team Rubicon and be part, in a small way, of helping quite a lot of people.

"We have built roofs on schools, delivered food aid by helicopter and assisted an orphanage. Very different from what Serve On does, but every bit as vital and rewarding."

To find out more about the charities go teamrubiconuk.org or serveon.org.uk.