St Thomas the Martyr Church is holding a photo exhibition and fundraiser for Katondo Primary School, Kabwe, Zambia

Carl visited Katondo primary school with Sport in Action, a charity helping children through sport.

Carl died in 2023 and the exhibition and fundraising is to celebrate his work and expand understanding of resource extraction and exploitation to gain rare minerals from the earth.

In Kabwe, Zambia, 95 per cent of children suffer from elevated blood lead levels caused by lead mining and smelting. Experts described the situation as a severe environmental health crisis, and Kabwe was named as one of the most polluted places on Earth. Exposure to lead during childhood impairs neurological development, causing lifelong cognitive deficits. Extremely high levels of exposure, such as those seen in Kabwe, can cause blindness, paralysis and death.

Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province, 100km north of the capital Lusaka and near central Africa’s Copperbelt.

Named Broken Hill until 1966, it was founded when lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902.

Almost a century of lead mining and smelting has left a truly toxic legacy in the once-thriving town of 250,000 people. 100km north of the capital Lusaka and near central Africa’s Copperbelt.

The fumes from the giant state-owned smelter, which closed in 1994, has left the dusty soil in the surrounding area with extreme levels of lead. The metal, still used around the world in car batteries, is a potent neurotoxin and is particularly damaging to children. But it is youngsters who are affected the most, especially as infants when they start to play outside and frequently put their hands in their mouths.