Student Daniel Heginbotham is preparing for a trip to the Fiji Islands to do voluntary work.

He has been accepted onto the Volunteer Eco Students Abroad (VESA) programme and will travel to Fiji in July.

VESA work with villagers to address any major issues they face and Daniel’s trip is being sponsored by pharmaceutical company Medis.

Daniel, 20, and other VESA volunteers will be working to help villagers tackle major problems which affect their communities including a lack of fresh running water, dilapidated schools, non-sustainable farming and generally poor infrastructure.

He said: ‘I’m very grateful to Medis for sponsoring this trip. I will be working with around 30 other volunteers and the latest information we have been given is that we will be installing new play equipment and water catchment devices amongst other projects. I’m sure the trip will be a valuable experience.’

Daniel will complete a minimum of 40 hours of hands-on community based volunteer work. He earned a gold Duke of Edinburgh award while at Castle Rushen High School and is currently in his second year at Loughborough University where he is studying for a BSc in geography and economics.

Stuart Colligon, managing director of Medis, said: ‘VESA projects are about creating real and lasting change and we are delighted to be able to support Daniel’s work with the organisation in the Fiji Islands. Giving up his own time to do voluntary work is a credit to Daniel. We are sure that he will make a valuable contribution the project.’

VESA brings together students from around the world to work on a number of different projects. As well as helping communities, the projects are also designed to allow students to develop new skills and broaden their life experience.

For more information about VESA go to: www.vesabroad.co.uk