An adventurous Moray teenager is raising funds for a once in a lifetime trip to teach English to some of South Africa’s poorest children.
Forres 17-year-old Heather Anderson is staging a ceilidh tonight and a coffee morning at the weekend as she builds towards her target of £6,000.
The Forres Academy pupil aims to jet off as part of the Project Trust programme in August.
She said: “I’m a little bit scared but I am looking forward to it, and I’m sure it will be very rewarding.
“South Africa jumped out at me as it meant I could work with children, and that is something I really enjoy doing.”
Heather helps to stage a local kids club in Forres every Friday and although she had planned to enter teaching professionally, she has now decided to study criminology and sociology at university
The ambitious youngster has already generated £4,750, and hopes this weekend’s double header of events will edge her towards the £6,000 target.
Tonight’s ceilidh in Forres’s Victoria Hotel will be led by members of Elgin Strathspey and Reel Society Orchestra.
The event starts at 7.30pm, and tickets priced £5 will be available at the door. A raffle and other competitions are planned.
Tomorrow Heather is holding a Mother’s Day coffee morning in St Leonard’s Church Hall in Forres, from 10am to noon.
A selection of gift, craft and home baking stalls will be available, as well as a small silent auction and other competitions. Admission is £1.50 for adults and 75p for unde-12s.
And the fundraising doesn’t stop there. In May she will embark on a charity skydiving challenge in order to collect some more last-minute donations.
Previous activities have included a bag pack in a local Co-op store and a disco for senior Forres Academy pupils at the town hall.
Project Trust annually selects 280-300 young people from across the UK and Europe for year-long voluntary teaching and social care projects.
The schemes are chosen to ensure volunteers’ existing skills are put to good use in their host communities, and do not take work from local people.
To donate to Heather’s collection, go to www.virginmoneygiving.com/HeatherAnderson.