A COMPASSIONATE volunteer who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the poor has died suddenly.
Tributes have been paid to Martyn Hastings MBE who lived in Dorset and died of a heart attack on July 9 aged 74.
Martyn, a lecturer, attended Kippax Primary and Castleford Grammar School in Yorkshire.
He is most remembered for being ‘adventurous, compassionate and selfless’, his family said.
They added: “Martyn has worked tirelessly with the Murugi Community in Kenya to improve the lives of the poor.
“Since 1999 he has taken adventurous groups of people ranging from 16 to 80 years old from Dorset and across the UK to climb Mount Kenya and volunteer in the local community.
“With the help and support of many people he built a medical centre, set up a feeding programme for needy children, built and equipped classrooms including special needs units, provided housing and basic provisions for homeless families, set up a sponsor programme to give orphaned and needy
children access to education.
“His work also involved linking 15 primary and secondary schools in the UK with Kenyan schools.”
Selfless Martyn would travel to Kenya four or five times a year to carry out project work.
He was awarded an MBE in 2010 for Services to the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the UK and Kenya.
Upon the news he had received the MBE, the ever-modest Martyn told the Echo: “I think the MBE is an acknowledgement for all the people who support
our community work and expeditions in the whole area.
“I regard myself as having an opportunity to do something which most people don’t get the chance to do.
“My wife Josie and I spend a lot of time doing this.
“The reward you see is students having an effect in a poor area. We’ve developed a secondary school from scratch and have built a low cost secondary school and a health centre.”
Martyn and Josie would organise numerous fundraisers and many links were set up between UK and Kenyan schools.
Martyn also had a long career as a civilian lecturer for the Army.
Family meant everything to Martyn and he touched the lives of many people.
His family said: “Above all, he was a loving husband, father and grandfather and will be desperately missed by his family and all who had the privilege to know him.”