Teacher inspires Wigan students with tales from African adventure

In July, Sarah Taylor, deputy headteacher at Westleigh Methodist Primary in Leigh, embarked on a 12-day expedition to visit two schools in Uganda.

These schools have been supported by the Epworth Education Trust, of which Westleigh is a part, and have been sponsoring the education of 12 children.

With a round trip taking over 50 hours and covering around 10,000 miles, the journey there and back was not the easiest. Despite that, Sarah describes the experience as one of the best in her life.

Sarah said: “It was just amazing, and being there was so incredibly humbling. The welcome we received will stay with me forever.

“One of the undoubted highlights was meeting the children that our pupils have started to build a connection with through our work with a charity called Edukid. We presented those children with letters, pictures and stickers that our kids had made for them – and I genuinely don’t think I have ever seen smiles as big.”

During her 10-day trip, Sarah visited two schools each consisting of more than 1,000 pupils and class sizes of at least 100 children. In each class, the pupils present could age anywhere between four and 18 years old.

On the back of this mission, Sarah will now visit all of the six schools in the Epworth Education Trust to tell her story and share pictures from her time there.

She said: “We were asked to get involved in school life and teach a lesson or two. I took some ideas with me, but nothing could have prepared me for how different everything was.

"What was amazing, however, were the aspirations that the children had. Nearly every child we spoke to wanted to be a doctor, lawyer or teacher so that they can help and support their communities.

"The impact that this is already having on our children is incredible.

“To actually see something that they have produced in the hands of a child around 5,000 miles away is mind blowing for them. It helps them realise that the actions we take here can make a huge difference elsewhere.

The hope is that other reachers from the trust will follow in Sarah’s footsteps in future years, enhancing the relationship between the schools.

Julie Ann Hewitt, CEO of Epworth Education Trust, said: “We hope that this is the start of a real partnership.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our staff but, most importantly, it is brilliant for our children. To be able to see that we can all make a huge difference if we do all that we can to support one another is a very important life lesson for them.

“Plus, the learning and leadership opportunities that come from planning sponsorship events to writing the letters to the Ugandan children brings a whole new dimension to aspects of our learning.

“The work that Sarah does now she has returned to the UK is going to be just as important as all the amazing things she did while she was in Uganda. It will be incredibly exciting to watch.”