A HIGHWORTH man is on his way to Sierra Leone to join the effort to stem the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.

Nick Tremblin left Heathrow for Casablanca in Morocco this morning, and from there he will take a flight across north west Africa to Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown before making his way to the Ebola project, in the Northern Province in the country.

There, the 60-year-old believes he will take on a site manager role and oversee the day-to-day construction and running of a centre being constructed for victims of the virus.

The dad of two said: “I only got offered the job last week so everything has moved very quickly and I’m still learning about all the details myself.

“I’ll be out there for three months initially and we’ll see how it goes from there. After that I don’t know how long, it depends on how long the epidemic carries on for.”

Following the outbreak of the virus in west Africa in March Nick felt called upon to do what he could to offer his support.

“I lived in Sierra Leone for 12 years and I know people who are at risk of catching it, so going out there to help where I could is very important to me,” said Nick, who met Deb, his wife of 30-years, in Sierra Leone, where they were both working at the time.

“I’ve worked there and in West Africa for many years and it’s a part of the world that’s very close to my heart,” he said.

“The lingua franca in Sierra Leone is English, but the local language is Krio which I’m actually fluent in.

“I’ve been meaning to go back to Sierra Leone for many years and after the outbreak I began to apply for jobs out there, and I was finally offered this one.

“I am looking forward to going back there and doing what I can to help the fight against Ebola.”

For months Ebola has spread through West Africa, with more than 15,000 cases reported across Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, and fears are growing it will spread further.

The virus is spread by direct contact with the infection through broken skin, or the mouth and nose, with the blood, vomit, faeces or bodily fluids of someone with Ebola.

But despite the thousands of lives claimed by the virus, Nick has no fear of contracting the virus himself.

He said: “I don’t think anybody goes out there thinking they will get the virus,” he said.

“I know that precautions will be very extreme, and we’ll all be required to wear the necessary protective suits and take all necessary precautions, so I’m not afraid of catching the virus.”