Student bids to fund aid trip abroad

Six organists from Oldham take part in organ recital at St Andrew's Methodist Church, Shaw to raise funds for Elizabeth Owen's trip to Uganda. Pictured here is Elizabeth Owen with two of the six organists (l-r) Elizabeth's dad Peter Owen and Ian Wolstenholme

AN OLDHAM student is raising funds so that she can travel to Uganda and help the community there.

Elizabeth Owen, a Oldham Sixth Form College student, is raising £3,000 to cover the costs of her trip to Uganda next summer where she will help build a school for the community.

The trip is part of The World Challenge who organise various community projects for young people to help those in poorer countries like Uganda.

Once Elizabeth has raised the money to cover her flight and accommodation costs she will spend a week being introduced to the community before spending another two weeks working on the project.

To help raise funds for Elizabeth and as part of their 50th anniversary, St Andrew's Methodist Church, High Crompton held an organ recital last Saturday which saw six local organists perform.

Elizabeth said: "I'll be doing community work, the first week that you go there is like a holiday week where you can look around and get a feel for the community but then the in the other two I'll be helping to build a school.

"We have to raise the money ourselves and it goes towards the travelling, the flights and the accommodation.

She said: "I am quite excited but I am also a bit scared as well because of the injections that you have to have.

"I have always supported Comic Relief and I don't like seeing children sad so that is why I wanted to do it."

As well as raising money for the trip Elizabeth is also taking her A-levels this year and intends to go to university although she is unsure of what she will study.

She said: "I am trying to revise and stuff but it is not going to be that bad until later on in the year so I can deal with it.

"When it comes to that point when the exams are getting nearer all of the fundraising should be done by then I would have thought.

Originally Elizabeth's parents were sceptical about whether she would take part in the trip but once they attended meetings with her they realised it was not just a mere suggestion.

Elizabeth added: "I came home with a leaflet and they were both a bit like you won't do it you'll be too scared.

"But then we had meetings about it and they started believing that I was going to do it.

"In the beginning, once they realised, they were a bit worried but now they are fine."