For many of us, our holiday photos are simply put in frames, stored in albums, or shared on social media. However, Elena in Year 13, has put her photographs from a school trip to Nepal to far better use, raising nearly £500 for charity.

As part of her Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), Elena held a private exhibition of 60 photos, which included striking and colourful images of Nepalese people going about their daily lives. Thirty photographs were bought by members of the public in order to raise money for ‘Be the Change’, an organisation that helps bring meaningful economic and social change to disaster-struck villages across the world.

Sixth Form students travelled to Nepal last July with school alumna Linda Cruse, and worked to support a rural community that had been impacted by the 2015 earthquake. 

Each girl raised money to support their project work, prior to the trip, and attended a Humanitarian Club at school to prepare them for the immense cultural differences.

For Elena in particular the trip had a lasting effect: “It was an amazing opportunity to feel like you were directly helping people who were visibly in need,” she says. “I will never forget this trip, the fantastic people that surrounded me, and the people in Nepal who inspired me.”

As a school we are widely recognised for our international outlook, even being shortlisted in the 2018 Times Education Supplement’s (Tes) School Awards last year. The next trip to Nepal will take place in July 2020.

For more information on Linda Cruse visit www.lindacruse.com