A COUPLE have been elected honorary elders at an African church.

Dr Allan and Jasmine Dowson have twice visited the village of Bulamba in Tanzania.

And during their visit this year they were given the honour as part of the Wakefield-Mara Diocesan Link.

Mr Dowson goes to St John the Baptist Church in Coley, near Hipperholme.

Through the link, a church has been built in Bulamba and two more are to be created in the parish.

Also 100 Bibles in Swahili will be given to families.

Mr Dowson said: "The link is establishing education bursaries and providing food, oxen for ploughing, trees for re-forestation, medical help and water storage tanks at school.

"At present we are committed to provide a milling machine for grinding maize and millet to increase the nutritional output."

Mr and Mrs Dowson live on The Grove in Hipperholme and have been married for 43 years. They have three children and five grandchildren.

He has his own consultancy business, which deals with all aspects of building advice and designing hard landscaping products.

He was responsible for research and development at Marshalls plc and is an expert on pre-cast concrete products.

He won the 2006 Pavior's Medal for Excellence for his contribution over 40 years to the development and production of stone and precast products for roads, footways and gardens.