A technician is preparing to swap the sites of Showfield Lane for Sierra Leone.

Malton Coachworks Garage Services employee Nick Gordge will embark on a two-week trip to Sierra Leone today to teach basic mechanical skills to young adults and help in an orphanage and a school.

Mr Gordge will be working with A Call to Business, a charity dedicated to challenging cultures and changing mind-sets through social impact investment work.

The charity was founded 15 years ago by Paul Szkiler, who is the brother of the director of the Coachworks company, James Szkiler.

Mr Gordge, 46, who has worked in mechanics for more than 30 years, said that he is hoping the trip will change his outlook on life.

He said: “I have had a rough year and I have been down, but James gave me the opportunity to go out there and to help people.

“I know that I can go out there and help others and hopefully change someone’s life for the better. I am hoping I will come back with a more positive outlook on life.

“It is a big challenge, but I am definitely looking forward to it.”

The vehicle technician will teach the charity’s Freetown team how to maintain generators, brick-making machines and a fleet of Toyota cars and trucks.

The charity now employs more than 100 people in Sierra Leone in areas such as publishing, brick making and broadcasting.

Broadcast TV equipment from the company’s head office in West Knapton was used during the Ebola outbreak to broadcast life-saving information from Freetown.

Mr Szkiler said: “There is a need for someone out there with Nick’s skills. It seemed like the right time for it and Nick has always wanted to do it. The Szkilers believe that while there is always a place for charity, it rarely brings social transformation. The way to lift people from poverty is to invest in the poor.”