RETIRED Marlborough GP turned charity boss Nick Maurice has announced he is stepping down as volunteer director of the Marlborough Brandt Group.

For more than 30 years he has tirelessly pioneered educational and development work in Gunjur in The Gambia by forging close links between people living there and in Marlborough, gaining an international reputation.

In March, he announced he was taking a step back and looking to appoint a deputy director. Now, he has taken the decision to completely bow out and the group is advertising for a part-time paid director.

However, Dr Maurice is not cutting all ties completely and will be in the shadows to show the new director the ropes.

“I am now aged 72 and it is high time I moved over,” he said. “To allow a younger person coming from a different background and experience, and a new vision to take over from me and maybe take MBG and our relationship with Gunjur and The Gambia in new, interesting directions.”

Dr Maurice, who is taking his 61st trip to Gambia in two weeks, has seen more than 1,600 young people pass through its exchange programme, giving them the opportunity to experience different cultures.

He has made life-long friends with people in The Gambia and has had a huge impact on the community, including through the group’s partnership with trust agency TARUD that they helped set up in 1998, improving better and cleaner water facilities, as well as education which has led to many Gambians accepting jobs in senior positions in government organisations.

The hugely successful group, of which journalist Jon Snow is a patron, also saw the government invest £5m after researching the charity’s link so other communities could form their own partnerships.

“There have been so many highlights that it is difficult to choose one,” Dr Maurice added. “The most rewarding aspect of the work of MBG has been to observe the impact that the link has had on young Gambians and young people from Marlborough.

“But perhaps the most important impact has been the development of a self-confidence by women and men through relationships with people in Marlborough, which has allowed them to challenge the status quo and bring about change for themselves rather than being dependent on outside help.

“We have been present at six of the last seven commonwealth heads of government meetings, where we have been able to raise the profile of and role that community-based partnerships across the world can play in ensuring peace, prosperity and justice in the world.”