VILLAGERS in a remote village near Mount Everest have issued a thank you to charitable Borderers who helped put a roof over their heads.

Almost three years ago a devastating earthquake killed around 9,000 people in Nepal.

It also left hundreds of thousands homeless as devastation and destruction was felt for hundreds of miles from the Gorkha district epicentre.

Galashiels restaurant worker Ongdi Sherpa was back in his native homeland for a wedding in the capital Kathmandu as the country's worst natural disaster in 80 years struck.

After returning to Scotland he, along with his wife Alison and daughter Tamzin, embarked on a fundraising mission to help his family village in the mountainous Solukhumbu district.

Every house in Dimbul was damaged with most needing to be completely rebuilt.

But roofing materials were scarce - and Ongdi managed to raise an incredible £7,000 in the Scottish Borders to help supply enough roofing materials for the 17 homes.

At the time Ongdi told us: "The materials from the collapsed buildings can be used again to rebuild the walls but there is a problem with roofing.

"Once the roofs are damaged they can't be re-used.

"It may not seem like much here in Scotland but the roofing is a really big thing in the village."

Many organisations - including the Rotary Clubs of Selkirk and Hawick, the Parish Church and Trinity Church in Galashiels, the Taste of Spice Restaurant in Selkirk and the Oxnam Water Ladies group donated to the cause.

Ongdi's home village is an 18-hour jeep ride and further two day-long trek from Kathmandu.

In the months after the April, 2015 earthquake he managed to place an order for roofing materials in the town of Solang - around a day's walk from Dimbul.

Dozens of villages came down from the mountains to help with the final leg of the journey.

The 38-year-old former mountain guide has since made several trips back to his home village - and last month he was on hand to see the final roof being completed.

Ongdi told us: "I was back in Dimbul last year and there were three houses left to finish, this year they are now all completed.

"The people of Dimbul, as well as me and my family, would like to thank everyone who donated and helped bring normality back to the village.

"If we hadn't been able to get the roofing materials many people would still be relying on bamboo for shelter.

"The people of my village are delighted as they now have quality roofs that will last them for 30 years."