Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster and RFA Gold Rover have been working with ships of the Ghanaian navy as part of her current deployment.

The Duke-class warship is on Atlantic Patrol Task (South), and with support tanker Gold Rover visited Takoradi in Ghana to help strengthen links with the local navy.

The goodwill visit started with a tour of the ship by 30 students and staff from the Twin City Special School, a residential school for the handicapped which struggles for funds.

The tour concluded with jelly and ice cream, and the ship’s company were treated to a traditional school song performed by members of the school band.

Music is an important part of the school’s curriculum, and Lancaster’s Communications Officer Lt Mark Headley said: “It was a very moving moment to be treated to such a performance.”

The school also actively participates in sports events, with a few pupils good enough to compete at world level, and these pupils were proud to show their international medals and trophies to the ship’s company.

The following day 27 members of Lancaster’s and Gold Rover’s ships’ companies were taken by bus to the school to provide a maintenance party.

On arrival they were met by the pupils and staff – the pupils clearly delighted to see some new faces at their school.

After a brief welcome by the deputy headmaster a school choir sang a song of welcome, accompanied by drumming which would not have been out of place at a rock concert.

After a short tour of classrooms and a look at some of the artwork produced by children, the group set to work.

Tasks included cleaning mosquito nets around the outside of the mess hall, repainting the ceiling of the same building and the entire shower block and fixing the school lighting system before moving a large quantity of log fencing which had rotted and was no longer safe.

That was all achieved before they could share a cold beer and barbecue lunch with cookhouse staff and fellow workers.

LSTD Mark Robbie said: “One of the more daunting tasks that I also undertook was to climb up to the top of the water tower to see if it was serviceable.

“Even though the children were excited at us being there, they kept out of our way until we had finished working. Once we had, though, the playing began.

“There were several of us there with digital cameras and as soon as you took one child’s photo it didn’t take long for word to get around.

“It makes you realise what we take for granted when all it took to make these children happy was to see themselves on a digital camera.

“As the day wore on the barbecue was flashed up and it was sausage and burgers all round, which created even more smiles.

“The school looks after approximately 100 pupils, and I was amazed to see that to feed all of the children and staff there was only a run-down hut. There was no cooker – just three old cauldrons bubbling away. It was certainly an eye-opener.

“With our stay drawing to a close it was time to say our farewells to all of our new friends.
“The children were hugging us and shaking our hands as we said our goodbyes. As our bus drove away some of the children were running along still waving and smiling.

“Once out of the gates, it was a quiet journey back to the ship as we all sat contemplating the things that we had just seen and experienced.

“My only regret is that we didn’t go back for a second day, because we could have done so much more. The day will certainly be a memory that I shall never forget.”

Atlantic Patrol Tasking (South) supports British dependant territories in the South Atlantic, including the Falklands, and West Africa, which in recent times has meant patrols off Sierra Leone.