The legacy of a young woman is set to live on in Nepal.
Sam Bunting lost her life in an accident at Gerranton Farm near Castle Douglas in 2021 aged just 21.
She grew up on Midtown Farm near Kirkbean with parents Andrew and Alison and siblings Phillipa, Rachel, Emma and Matthew.
And they have donated money collected at her funeral at Dumfries Baptist Church to fund the creation of a computer classroom for children in Nepal, which has been named Sam’s Lab in her honour.
Andrew said: “We were talking to Alistair Purss, the pastor, about what to do with the offering and he mentioned Nepal.
“Sam really loved children, especially those that were worse off. She had done so much for others it just seemed to fit. It has made a big difference to the work over there.”
Dumfries Baptist Church member and former teacher Joy Ransom has been carrying out work in Nepal for a number of years, much of it helping to train teachers.
A team of eight members of the church, including doctors and teachers, have recently returned home from a month there – which included attending the official opening of Sam’s Lab.
What was a room full of rubble has now been turned into a computer lab with enough machines to teach a whole class.
Pastor Purss explained: “Joy’s main aim is always to benefit the community – whether it’s the man that sold the wood to the joiner or the joiner who made it, all of the money benefited people within the community.
“Our aim in the things we do in the church and support is always that every aspect of the community is going to benefit from it.
“As a church we are really committed to supporting communities – not just around us through our food project and our warm welcome space but reaching beyond our own communities.
“It’s great as a community to be able to help, even if we can’t be there, and we can learn and take things away from our relationships abroad.
“That’s what churches do, not just ourselves but churches the length and breadth of Scotland are doing this.”
The official opening ceremony included the presentation of a special plaque made from Dumfries oak.
And that’s not the only thing that will ensure Sam will always be remembered.
Alison said: “Any photographs with donations usually get put up in the staffroom, but a gentleman – who I think runs the school or has something to do with what we would call the parent council – was adamant her picture would be in the lab next to the plaque.”
Andrew added: “It’s so the kids could identify with the fact this young person had lost their life and out of the difficulties something good had happened.”
Donations at Sam’s service came from a variety of people including Sam’s friends, neighbours, members of the church and farming communities and also through the post.
Some of the funds were used to support another of the church’s projects, in Bangladesh, where a phonics learning book has been dedicated to Sam’s memory.
Sam, who would have been 23 this week, was working at Gerranton for Ian and Margaret Heuchan – the latter her old teacher at Kirkbean Primary – when the tragedy happened in September 2021.
Andrew said: “She just loved farming and the outdoor life. She was full of life, just a ball of sunshine
“She loved the Lord, she committed her life to Him at a young age, faithfully following him.
She was at her cousin’s down in Stranraer two weeks before the accident.
“When I was going to the market at Carlisle she would come with me and that would be her conversation – talking about her faith.
“She put the Lord first in everything she did. We hope we will see her again.
“Alistar, Eoghan (Paterson, associate pastor), all the church family. I don’t know how we would have got through without them – even
yet.
“The support they have given has been tremendous.”
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