Published on Fri Dec 24, 2010
A 76-YEAR-OLD grandma who trekked through Cambodia for charity said it was an ‘extraordinary, humbling experience’.
Shirley Butler, from Nethergreen, Eastwood, said her trip made her realise how lucky she was to live in England where everyday things were taken for granted.
She said: “I am very humble. I didn’t realise how well off we were in this country.
“The people are so happy out there and they have got nothing. But they’re so happy with their lot.
“If they wanted to eat that night they had to go out and catch a fish or a snake. It just brings it home to you. We’ve go these supermarkets on our doorsteps and we don’t think anything of it.”
Shirley, who has now been on ten treks for the charity SCOPE, said Cambodia was particularly interesting because she lived in a village for four days with the locals.
“You get a real feel for their lifestyle,” she said.
The intrepid hiker, who raised over £3,000, helped re-build stilt houses blown up by land mines and climbed Siem Reap during her stay.
Shirley keeps threatening to hang up her boots, but says since returning from Cambodia she is once again determined to plan another trip. She is now looking into a project to help build a house in Brazil in 2013.
“I’m just hoping I’ll be fit and strong enough to take part,” she said.
Shirley has raised over £25,000 for SCOPE over the last 11 years. Her adventures have included trekking through Africa, Vietnam and Venezuela and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
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