Out Of Africa For Barnsley Charity Heroine

Ghana

A Barnsley woman has trekked thousands of miles on a major African charity adventure.

Katie Bell (21), of Chapletown, a sales underwriter at Bright Finance, travelled more than 3,000 miles with leading youth development charity Raleigh International.

She raised £4,000 to finance the adventure through a range of fundraising events including race nights, raffle, lady's night, and a football tournament.

"a real emotional rollercoaster..."

Katie's overseas programme lasted ten weeks and was broken down into three projects - including helping the environment, the community, and a number of adventures, including trekking.

A week was spent learning basic survival skills before Katie, together with 90 other volunteers from the UK, Germany and Ghana, spent their time helping to build a school in Abaka Enqwenta and the conservation of turtles in Old Ningo.

Katie said: "All of the projects run by Raleigh International help the local communities sustain their environment and build a better, brighter future while giving the participants a chance to experience new cultures, environments and learn new skills.

"The experience was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. It was a real emotional rollercoaster and it's hard to put into words how it has changed my outlook on life. Every local I saw always had the biggest smile on their face and many joined in to help on whichever project we were working on."

Katie's boss, Paul Hancock, Chairman of Bright Finance, said: "We are really proud of Katie. She has helped improve the lives of many people in Ghana, including young people and has been a real inspiration to others."

Posted: 29th January 2007