From Redruth to Valencia: A flood recovery mission

A student from Redruth has gone above and beyond to help those in need by traveling to Valencia, Spain, to assist with the clean-up efforts following the devastating floods that recently swept through the region.

Brandon Fuentes, originally from Mexico and has been living in England for the past three years, is on the Electrical Installation programme at Cornwall College Camborne. After hearing of the devastation over in Spain, he felt compelled to help.

Motivated by a personal connection through his friend’s father-in-law, whose relatives were directly impacted by the floods, Brandon quickly coordinated with friends from France and Switzerland to lend their support.

“The devastation was immense, streets were covered in thick mud, homes were flooded to the second storey and families had lost nearly all of their belongings,” explained Brandon. “When I do things like this, I don’t think about being kind, I just do it because I want to.”

Upon arriving in Valencia, Brandon and his team immediately began cleaning houses, clearing mud, salvaging belongings and working to restore a sense of normalcy for affected families.

Residents had to walk miles to reach their houses, and many had lost everything. Despite this, the resilience of the community stood out.

Over 100 volunteers from around the world came to help, and many homeowners, despite having no electricity, showed incredible gratitude by cooking meals for the volunteers using battery-powered stoves.

“Their resilience was inspiring. Even though they’d lost so much, they were still trying to give back to those helping them,” Brandon said.

After a weekend of intense work in Valencia, Brandon returned to the UK, caught a train and attended his class the same day.

“I was exhausted, but I knew I had to show up. My education is important and I didn’t want to fall behind,” he said.

Commenting on Brandon’s remarkable efforts, Luke Bazeley, head of Cornwall College Camborne, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Brandon’s selflessness and the example he sets for others. His actions reflect the values we strive to instil in all our students, making a positive impact on the world while staying committed to personal and professional growth.”

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