AN Ardrossan teen is trying to raise £6,200 after being offered the chance to teach at primary and secondary schools in Honduras.

Bethany Collins has been accepted onto the Project Trust’s Honduras Gap Year programme and hopes to raise enough money to cover training, return flights, insurance, accommodation, and living costs.

Volunteering is second nature to Bethany – the sixth year Ardrossan Academy student spent two years helping out at Ivybank Vets in West Kilbride and has also volunteered at North Ayrshire Foodbank.

Bethany, who is about to turn 18, said: “I’ve always wanted to travel and I love volunteering.

“I would like to meet new people and get out of a wee town – this is all I know. And if I don’t do it now, I never will.”

The Project Trust is a registered charity which sends young volunteers abroad.

Applicants go through a rigorous selection process, involving staying with a host family and taking part in various community activities.

Bethany is set to fly out to the Central American country in August. She will spend the next 12 months teaching English, Maths, or Science and running extra-curricular activities for the pupils.

Asked what her biggest fear is about her gap year, Bethany said: “Homesickness. I’ll miss my family, my friends and my dog.

“I think it’s a bit scary teaching. I have been working with a first year class at my school to get used to it.”

Bethany has arranged a fundraising coffee morning at Ardrossan’s St Peter in Chains Church on Saturday, February 25 from 10.30am-2.30pm. Tickets are £1 and can be bought at the door.

To keep up to date with Bethany’s fundraising,visit her website at http://bethanyvolunteers.co.uk/index.html.