Nicholas had offered to conduct a communion service at the end of the day; a fitting tribute to a fitting cause and fitting efforts by all involved.

The morning started as usual with prayers then it was off to site for one last time. We all worked at supercharged energy levels as we strived towards those end targets and as the day got hotter more water was being consumed. In the afternoon the pace got quicker and the sweat poured for the cause. The opportunity arose to view the established parts of Casa Lumina but many refused in their attempt to get the job done.

At the end of the day all bar three OSB boards covered the ceilings and some rooms had even got plaster boards up as well. Considering the aim was to leave only the walls to cover with OSB boards for the team arriving the following week, it showed what amazing work the girls (Sally, Shirley and Karen) had put in by getting several of the rooms completed.

I would at this stage like to praise the fantastic leadership qualities of Keith Maynard. From the very start he had organised this trip. He, along with the organising committee had invited Steve Cooper to give the original, emotional presentation about the work of Cry in the Dark at the Mens' Breakfast in Tenterden. Then the momentum grew as the team of eight from the Tenterden area was formed and the fund raising took place. Keith saw us easily through check-in at Heathrow Airport as one party, drove the mini-bus through the gauntlet of the Romanian road infrastructure, co-ordinated and advised the various groups on site as they performed their work tirelessly and taking us on tours of the country when the limited opportunities arose.

At just gone 5 o'clock a lorry turned up with eighty (yes 80) packages of polystyrene which had to be unloaded and transferred into the loft of this new extension. It was so brilliant to see the orphans join in this endeavour and between us all the task was soon completed.

During lunch break Nicholas had prepared his communion service; this included the make-shift building of a cross from three pieces of wood, some nails and some screws, some bread from the bakers around the corner and some homemade wine that Mark and Callum had received from one grateful parent when they had visited the children with life-limiting illnesses on Wednesday.

Two of the orphans joined us for the service at the end of the day and were remarkably respectful as Nicholas conducted the communion service in rather different surroundings than he was used too.

There were many hugs and kisses from our resident friends at Casa Lumina as we prepared to depart from site for one last time. One girl in particularly had taken Alan to heart as perhaps she had remembered him from two years previous when he made the trip out before. It gave us all immense pleasure to see our oldest member of the group experience this deep love from the child.

We didn't get back to our accommodation until 7.45 p.m. and we all had to have a shower before heading off for our evening meal. Probably because the hard work was over, every body seemed to be more relaxed, more able to let their hair down and twelve of the sixteen rounded of their meals with a shot of pelinker; a very strong Romanian shot made from prunes that should be downed in one.

It was a late night for us all with a lot of banter, laughter and a few games played. The morrow is our departure from a land and culture so very different to our own, a country trying to pull itself from a second world status (if one indeed exists) to join the elite countries of Europe. Money is being invested in Romania by the European Union but only really can be tangibly seen in the slowly improving road system. Medical care is difficult to obtain and for many they have to depend on the sterling efforts made by charities like Cry in the Dark. The mindset of many, particularly in the older generation, remain in the dark ages of the communist regime. It is an unfortunate fact that the efforts of Cry in the Dark will be required for some time to come.

Terry Norrington