AN 18-year-old student is flying out to a remote village in a South American rainforest to teach maths and science.

Catherine Lewis, an A-Level student at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form, in Darlington, was delighted to have been accepted for a place with the Project Trust.

She said: “I wanted to have a gap year working in a developing country as it will be a good way of helping others with their education, this will be a life changing experience for me and I do think I can make a difference.”

Miss Lucas needs to raise a total of £5,400 to fund her work in Guyana and is half way there after a variety of fund raising events.

Her next charity event is to be held on Friday, June 21, at the Northern Echo Arena, home of Darlington Mowden Park Rugby Club.

Miss Lucas’s efforts will form one of the 450 individual acts of volunteerism the college is aiming to clock up under Project 450, part of its 450th anniversary celebrations.

It will be a band night and tickets are £6, available from the college on 01325-461315.