A TEENAGER at Priory’s Mark College in Highbridge has undertaken the trip of a lifetime to work with a charity in India.

Harriet Roberts, 16, was one of only 28 young people chosen from the hundred that applied to spend three weeks this summer working on the Adopt a Village project in Kumbhalgarh, Western India.

Working with charity Free the Children, the group spent time working on the project, helping to complete toilets, classrooms and a health centre.

Harriet kept a diary during her trip, detailing the incredibly hard but rewarding manual work carried out and the cultural differences she encountered.

She said: “I have seen jackals, dog fights, babies in eye liner, a lady dance with a sword in her mouth, been part of a flash mob in rural India, learnt some Indian dance moves, had Delhi belly and in conclusion had the best time of my life.”

Harriet has attended Mark College for three years, and is studying psychology, sociology and art A levels and COPE (Certificate of Personal Effectiveness) Level 3. She has already achieved seven GCSEs at A-C and her ambition is to become a therapist.

She added: “I have made friends for life through the trip and it has changed my life. I have seen so many things that will stay with me forever, people with nothing who are open, generous and happy people.

“I will never forget seeing a woman sitting on the floor of her mud house smiling, or the children who only get one, maybe two meals a day but who are so happy and always want to play. They will be my dearest memories of India.”

Mark College is a specialist residential school for boys and girls aged ten to 19 with specific learning difficulties including language disorders, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Michelle Whitham Jones at Mark College, said: “Harriet is an exceptional young woman. As a school we raised money for Free the Children and once her exams were over, Harriet applied to travel to India and gained a place. I am immensely proud of her.

“The whole experience has obviously had a profound effect on her and I am sure will shape her future, which is incredibly bright.”