A WOMAN is to swap the palatial settings of a County Durham museum for volunteer work in an African community.

Jenny Wayman, 20, a group events organiser at the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, will travel to Arusha, Tanzania, in April.

She will spend three weeks doing working in the community before she begins a business management degree at Teesside University in September.

Miss Wayman, from Baldersdale, got the idea of working in Tanzania from her colleague Rachel Scott, a marketing officer at the museum, who made a similar trip.

She will travel to Tanzania as part of a programme organised by volunteer organisation Cross Cultural Solutions.

Miss Wayman said: "I left school on the Friday and started work on the Monday and I've always wanted to do something like this, so I thought that I should do it before I take three years out to do a degree.

"I'm still waiting to find out what exactly I'll be doing. I know it's going to be community work of some sort, possibly with children in an orphanage or working with elderly people. But I'm really looking forward to it."

Miss Wayman needs to raise nearly £2,000 to fund the trip and anyone who can contribute or donate raffle prizes can contact her on (01833) 694605. Donations can also be left at the Golden Lion, in Barnard Castle.