HOUSING sales manager Lynsey Brown went back to the basics of her trade during a recent trip to Malawi when she helped build homes for vulnerable children.

Lynsey, 39, from Tranent, was part of a team of 16 people from Miller Homes who travelled to Salima in the east of the African country to take part in the Habitat Homes housebuilding project with international charity Habitat for Humanity.

The charity is Miller Homes’ nominated charity for 2016 and they have pledged to raise £100,000 for its Hope Builders campaign, enough to build more than 30 Habitat Homes.

The company hit this target in September and is continuing to fundraise for the charity.

According to Habitat for Humanity, in Malawi four out of five families live in substandard homes with little hope of ever being able to afford a decent house.

A typical village hut is built of mud bricks with a dirty floor and grass thatched roof. The conditions put families at high risk of all kinds of diseases, with leaky roofs making the houses damp and mud floors attracting insects.

Lynsey usually works as a sales manager for Miller Homes in Edinburgh. On the trip to Malawi she was put to work laying bricks, constructing scaffolding and carrying mortar.

She said: “At work in Scotland I spend most of my time at my desk or driving around our sites. I have never physically worked so hard in my life as I did in Malawi.”

The trip has given her a unique life experience and she was deeply touched by the people she met in Malawi.

She added: “We became aware of other people’s struggles and the strength it takes to survive. I found out so much about Malawi and its people. I also learned about myself and how a team can truly be built and be motivated to achieve a common goal.

“I felt very privileged to be accepted into the lives of so many wonderful people. The Miller team and Malawi families became part of my heart, head and soul. I will never forget any of them.”

Lynsey was joined on the trip by colleague and fellow Tranent resident Andrew Fergusson, a production manager with Miller Homes, who raised more than £11,000 for the charity through fundraising ventures including playing 100 holes of golf in one day.

Manuela Campbell, head of volunteering and supporter services at Habitat for Humanity GB, said: “Miller Homes understands the importance of a safe and affordable home and is a perfect partner for us.

“Building alongside families around the world is a great privilege and we are looking forward to working with the Miller Homes volunteer team to restore independence to families and communities in Salima.”