A Llangattock student is set for the trip of a lifetime this summer, working on a children’s project in Uganda and at the same time raising awareness of the plight of mountain gorillas.

Angharad Treasure, an ex-pupil of Crickhowell High School, is currently in her first year at Falmouth University where she is studying Marine and Natural History Photography.

One of the university’s societies has given her the opportunity to travel to Uganda in June to build a playground for disadvantaged children and also to photograph gorillas in their natural habitat.

Angharad is paying her own travel expenses but needs to raise £1,700 through donations to take part in the project and she’s hoping Chronicle readers might come to the rescue.

“You may ask ‘Why a playground? Surely there are better things to raise money for?’. But you can’t over-emphasise the importance of play, especially in a child’s early stages of development. It brighten a child’s mood, gives them a chance to express themselves, learn social skills and develop into adulthood,” she explained.?The charity concerned is East African Playgrounds, which was founded in 2009 and has already built more than 100 playgrounds in Uganda and, in doing so, provided much-needed training and employment for local people in their workshop in Jinja.

“All the playgrounds are built from sustainable, local material so that there is no impact on the environment,” said Angharad.

“As well as building playgrounds they run creative play sessions in hospitals and schools across Uganda where children participate in art and play-based activities.

“They also visit schools educating teachers on the importance of play and why they should take some time out of lessons for the children to play.

“These creative play sessions give children the opportunity to express themselves and if they’re in hospital it helps brighten their day from an otherwise quite scary environment.

“In the UK play seems like such a basic, everyday thing that we don’t really pay much attention to - but play is incredibly important for a child’s development. A lack of it can have severe effects on a child’s mood, quality of life, social skills, cognitive abilities and problem solving skills.

“Studies have shown that if children are given the time and space to play they achieve more at school, are happier, have better IQs and are even more likely to get a job later on.

“Giving communities a playground helps children develop their creativity as it gives them the freedom to explore and discover.”

As an idea of what your money could help with: £15 buys the playground a motorbike tyre which give the children something to play with and sparks their imagination; £20 funds a disadvantaged young adult to train to become an apprentice so that then they can hopefully become a qualified builder sometime in the future. The money also covers all the safety equipment including boots, gloves, ear defenders, goggles and overalls; £100 builds a playground, including games tables, swings and recliners which help children learn about teamwork, problem-solving and strategic thinking. It also gives them a space to relax and socialise.

Angharad’s email address if you would like to ask any more questions is [email protected].

Her fundraising page if you would like to donate can be found at https://fxuradgorillas2016.everydayhero.com/uk/angharad-uganda-2017. Any donation however small will be greatly appreciated. You can also check out the EAP website page: eastafricanplaygrounds.org/.