SIX teenagers from Hyndburn are flying out to Tanzania later this year to help with an orphanage and clinic project.

The trip of a lifetime will take them to the Bethany Project in the remote village of Mwanza set up by the Oswaldtwistle-based Northern Evangelical Trust.

The young people from Oswaldtwistle Youth and Community Centre will be working on a range of schemes to improve the life of the local community.

These include a project to improve water supplies and language work in a school.

Youth and community worker Mark Gray said: "It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the culture and economics of a developing country and, at the same time, put something back into the area."

The six, who are aged between 16 and 18 and live in the Oswaldtwistle and Knuzden areas, are Tracey Leonard, Jennie Burnside, Lee McKenna, Liam Wilson, Daniel Derbyshire and Vicki Payne. Part-time youth and community workers Tracy Dawbar and Mark McVey will also be going on the trip in the last two weeks of November, organised by Lancashire County Council's youth and community service.

The £7,500 costs of the journey are being funded from a combination of sources.

As well as money from the county council, the young people are making a contribution, and have applied to local businesses and various charities.

They have also organised a series of fund-raising events, the latest being a social night at the Poplar WMC in Accrington.

County Councillor Dorothy Westell, chairman of the libraries and lifelong learning sub-committee, said: "This is an excellent example of the work being done for the young people of Lancashire by the youth and community service.

"I particularly want to pay tribute to the great work done for the young people of Hyndburn by Mark Gray and his staff at Oswaldtwistle.

"Through initiatives like this young people have the opportunity to broaden their horizons and become valuable members of their local community."

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