A COUPLE hope to raise £2,000 for victims of the Nepal earthquake after they fell in love with the country during a holiday.

Sole Satya and Patrick Baldwin hope to raise money in a string of events to send to a village on the outskirts of Kathmandu called Bungamati.

They have teamed up with businesses in Stroud to reach their fundraising target by the end of August 2015.

Sole said: “In 2008 we had an adventure in Kathmandu, Nepal.

“We fell in love with the place but the real highlight was the people and great friends we made in Bungamati.

“Our friends are now suffering in extreme conditions following the chaos and damage caused by earthquakes.

“We are deeply committed to raising funds for immediate relief.”

The couple have already hosted a screening of the documentary Karmageddon.

In the next event Stroud’s Star Anise Cafe is hosting a Nepali food and photography exhibition.

Head chef Nicholas Allan has taken on the challenge of learning how to make momos, spiced dumplings, a popular Nepali dish for the event.

Star Anise staff will serve up a two-course meal with nibbles for £20 a head at Open House, Stroud on Friday, July 3 at 7.30pm. Bookings can be made through the arts cafe.

Among the other events to raise money Nicholas will undertake a 50-mile sponsored challenge to run the Cotswold Way and Patrick is taking on a feral challenge.

Patrick will do a two-day walk to a woodland in Brookthorpe with only water and a sleeping bag.

Commenting on the adventure, Patrick said: “I will be ditching modern life for the weekend of July 9 to 11 and will pack my bags with a few mere basics and head into the heart of an ancient woodland by foot.

“The rules are simple, a sleeping bag, a tarpaulin, water, a fig leaf and a gnarly looking club and a couple of other basics but no food to be taken with me.

“Now I’m certainly no Ray Mears so I reckon its going to be hungry, bleary eyed couple of days sleeping rough and I already envisage a foraging basket mainly populated with wonderfully filling stinging nettles.

“I am hoping this challenge may give me a minute, tiny glimpse of what the population of Nepal are going through at this moment.”

  • For more information about how to sponsor Nicholas and Patrick and to see other fundraising events go to bit.ly/1FKxLXe