Big-hearted people in Northern Ireland have received messages of thanks from Thailand for donating nearly £500,000 to help children over the 20 years since the devastating 2004 tsunami.
Willie Gregg, the Portrush man who has raised most of the money, says he has been humbled by the messages from charity officials in Phuket.
He was moved to fundraise within hours of seeing TV images of the killer waves engulfing countries around the Indian Ocean.
Willie, the manager of the award-winning Harbour Bar in Portrush, flew out to the stricken country and was appalled by the scale of the loss of life and damage.
He was particularly upset by the plight of hundreds of children who had been orphaned by one of the world’s worst natural disasters.
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On his return home, he set up Willie’s Orphan Fund, a charity aimed at raising much-needed cash for an orphanage.
The fact that millions of people worldwide had seen horrific pictures of the tsunami’s terrifying power helped to encourage people to give freely to charities.
Willie explained: “I thought my efforts would last no more than a year, but here I am, 20 years on, still helping disadvantaged children, and the only reason I can do that is all due to unbelievable support from the public here.
“Obviously, many of the tsunami orphans are grown up now, with families of their own, and some have university degrees behind them, but there are still other youngsters who need looking after in Khao Lak. And I’ve now also turned my attention to assisting children who are living in the most dreadful conditions in the slums of Bangkok.”
Last week, Willie received a letter and video containing heartfelt messages of thanks for his work and for the generosity of people in Northern Ireland who have supported his fundraising.
Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, of the Duang Prateep Foundation, said the hundreds of thousands of pounds donated by people here “had played a really important role in making a brighter better and happier future for the children”.
She also looked back at the dark days of the tsunami in Khao Lak where thousands of people died and hundreds of children were orphaned.
Addressing Willie directly, she said: “You will remember that we set up tents to care for the children who lost their parents and relatives in the disaster.
“You then came along offering kindness and essential items to give them. Now, 20 years on, you are still helping and offering support to develop the lives of poor children in Thailand, by providing educational scholarships to 30 children from primary to university level.
“Furthermore, you have shown concern for our children’s health by sponsoring water tanks at homes so the children can have clean water to drink.”
In 2015, seven orphans travelled from Thailand to say thanks in person for the financial backing of people here who were funding their education.
The children made an emotional pilgrimage to the grave of Radio Ulster presenter Gerry Anderson in Londonderry to lay flowers and sing songs to thank him for his passionate on-air support for Willie’s charity work, especially for the Baan Tharn Namchai orphanage.