Visiting priest in hospital after his leg turns septic

A CATHOLIC priest visiting Cottingham has spent three weeks in hospital with a serious leg infection.

Father Joe Bangura came to the village from its twin parish in Sierra Leone.

He was expecting to provide holiday cover for village priest father Pat Day.

But within days of his arrival, Mr Bangura noticed swelling in his leg.

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He said: "It was painful, so I was taken to hospital and the doctors realised I had an infection."

Staff at Hull Royal Infirmary discovered the priest's knee had turned septic.

He underwent two operations to wash it out and was put on intravenous antibiotics for about three weeks.

Although Mr Bangura is now out of hospital, he still has to take pills until doctors are sure the infection has gone away.

Cottingham parishioners supported Mr Bangura throughout his illness.

He said: "They showed me tremendous love and concern.

"They came to visit me in hospital."

Cottingham's Holy Cross Church in Carrington Avenue is twinned with the Star of the Sea Parish in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Mr Bangura has been visiting the village for several years.

Holy Cross regularly donates money to the parish and a group of Cottingham churchgoers went to visit Mr Bangura in 2007.

They included Peter O'Reilly, who stayed in touch with Mr Bangura while he was ill.

Mr O'Reilly said: "He's resting and recuperating now.

"The parish managed while he was in hospital – other priests came in to do the Sunday masses and we got by.

"It's a shame his summer break has been spoilt. He got plenty of rest while he was in hospital but it wasn't the rest he was hoping for."

Mr Bangura's experiences across the globe give him a different viewpoint valued by Cottingham's parishioners.

Mr O'Reilly said: "I think it does us good just to hear about somebody else and how things are going in a different country."

On Wednesday, September 5, we published an article about Twilight Football sessions in Cottingham, which were being held by Humberside Police to help keep youngsters out of trouble during the summer.

The Mail would like to clarify that none of the children in the photograph accompanying the story had been in any trouble with the police.

We apologise for any misunderstanding.