TWELVE months ago a massive earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Java, killing 5,000 people and leaving more than one million homeless.

But, now thanks to the efforts of former Grassington man Bill Marsden, most inhabitants now have temporary shelters.

He is a recovery co-ordinator for the British Red Cross and, when the earthquake struck on May 27, 2006, he went to the city of Yogyakarta to assist residents to rebuild their lives.

He helped to set up an early recovery programme, which saw affected communities working together to manage the construction of their own low cost and quake-resilient shelters.

Now it is forecast that every resident in the area will have temporary accommodation by the end of the year.

Mr Marsden explained: "There has been an emphasis on using volunteers living within communities who could provide additional technical advice and support.

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

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

"The work is being done by people from the area who want to help."

Forty-one-year-old Mr Marsden was brought up in Grassington - where his mother, Anne, still lives - and has lived in Indonesia for 12 years.

He joined the Red Cross after the Boxing Day tsunami struck the area in 2004.

On that occasion, he helped to set up recovery efforts in one of the worst hit areas - Banda Aceh - securing cash grants and implementing a construction programme.

He said: "It was an honour to work with so many people trying to do something good and to do so much with the money people gave.

"There are so many positive things about the tsunami project.

"The resources have been distributed in a corrupt-free, dignified way by trained volunteers who are essentially a bunch of Acehnese youngsters who wanted to do something to help."

And while he admitted it had been very challenging logistically, he said the work had given him vital experience, which he was able to use in his response to last year's earthquake.

"The emphasis has to be on volunteers, who are doing it because they want to help other people," he said.

The Java quake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale and flattened buildings over a 300-kilometre area. To date, the Red Cross has reached more than 400,000 people, helped to complete 12,500 shelters and provided construction tools for more than 14,000 families.

It has also sent out booklets to 200,000 families explaining how to build a safe house for about £74.

In addition, the charity - along with its sister organisations the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent - has provided emergency relief, water and sanitation and medical assistance to almost 125,000 families across the region.

Mr Marsden lives in Jakarta, with his wife, Elshinta, and children, six-year-old Chance and four-year-old Mat.