THREE students from south Trafford have returned from a volunteering expedition to The Gambia inspired and humbled by their visit to one of the world’s poorest countries.

Roshni Mitra, Charlotte Feldman and Nicole Rothburn were part of a 12-strong party from Withington Girls’ School who visited the country with the aim of giving much-needed help to locals living in the small rural village of Illiassa.

As well as providing practical support on the ground, the Withington girls had spent almost a year raising funds to help with special projects - and their £5,000 donation went towards building a new kitchen and store room at the village’s Mama Tamba Nursery and to buying the community a milling machine to help with production of rice, their staple food.

Roshni Mitra, from Sale, described the trip ssid:: “Seeing so many people living in conditions so different to England and still always having a smile on their face gave me a sense of perspective.”

Charlotte Feldman, from Hale Barns, said the highlight of the trip was spending time with the children at Mamba Tamba nursery.

Nicole Rothburn, who also lives in Hale Barns, said: “To be fully immersed in The Gambian culture and community for a week was truly inspirational.”