A MAN who grew up in the Yorkshire Dales is helping people in Java to rebuild their lives a year after an earthquake struck.

Bill Marsden, 41, has lived in Indonesia for 12 years and works with the Red Cross. He was born and brought up in Grassington, near Skipton, where his mother, Anne, lives.

He has worked for the charity since the tsunami hit Indonesia on Boxing Day 2004.

He helped set up early recovery projects in Banda Aceh, co-ordinated donations for those affected and helped with reconstruction.

Mr Marsden, who lives in Jakarta with his wife, Elshinta, and children Chance, six, and Mat, four, said: "It was an honour to have been working with so many people trying to do something good, and to do so much with the money people gave."

He became recovery co-ordinator for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Yogyakarta, Java, after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck on May 27 last year, killing more than 5,000 and leaving 1.1 million homeless.

The Red Cross provided more than 12,500 shelters and gave 14,000 families tools to reconstruct their homes.

"The success of this programme shows how important it is that communities drive their own recovery, rather than have it imposed on them," said Mr Marsden.

"By ensuring that people are at the centre of their own recovery, we make sure that their real needs are being met and that humanitarian assistance is effective."