A GROUP of Herefordshire students have returned from a successful trip to Uganda where they helped underprivileged school children.

The 26 youngsters, including members of the Bishop of Hereford's Bluecoat School and the city's Sixth Form College, visited the New Rock Foundation School, near the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

Organised by Sue Gasston, a maths teacher at Bishop's, the trip also included visits to islands on the famous Lake Victoria.

Sue has been travelling to Uganda with husband John for the last five years. During that time they have helped construct a new hall and classroom at New Rock to help the 350 pupils with their studies.

This year, another Bishop's teacher in Cerian Brown joined them and they and the students reserved around 4kg of their luggage allowance for materials that would help the school children.

"We brought a number of gifts, including maps, football kits, paints, pens and puppets," said Cerian.

"The welcome we received was overwhelming. We could hardly believe that these children, having so little themselves, could give so much."

The pupils then visited two schools on the Lake Victoria islands of Bubeke and Ssesse.

On Ssesse, the party helped with tasks such as painting a church and house where the Ugandan children live during school holidays. They also cleared a piece of land for the locals to grow vegetables.

Now back at school reflecting on their adventure, Sue plans a repeat trip next year with another set of pupils.

"There is no doubt that we will return next year," she said.

"The trip was great for the children that we took with us.

"It enabled them to see the sort of life that the children in Uganda lead and it was a real eye-opener for them."