Restaurant helps students raise funds for overseas project

Izobella Russo, Lauren Cooke and Poppy Cummins, all year 11 students at Elizabeth Woodville School, in Roade, will stage the fund-raising night at Saffron, in Castilian Street, ahead of a month-long trip to the country later this year.

The adventure will see them join a 30-strong group to help with the maintenance of a local school and take part in a range of social and cultural projects, including efforts to regenerate essential areas of forest land.

The girls need to raise almost £4,000 each to fund the trip and hope the curry night at Saffron will contribute £1,000 towards the total.

Izobella, aged 15, said: “It will be a fantastic trip and I’m really looking forward to taking myself out of my comfort zone and experiencing a completely new culture.”

Lauren added: “Working on cultural projects in Cambodia will be a real eye-opener and it’s going to be the trip of a lifetime. Raising the money will be hard but we’re really grateful to Saffron for hosting our curry night and helping our fund-raising.”

Poppy said: “It’s good to see new cultures and offer help where we can. I’m looking forward to experiencing something different.”

The teenagers have already managed to raise several thousand pounds between them ahead of the trip, which takes place from July 15 to August 12 and is organised by Camps International.

Saffron owner, Naz Islam, said: “We are always looking to support good causes and this was the perfect opportunity to help three hard-working youngsters raise money for a potentially life-changing trip. The work they do out there will make a long-lasting difference.”

Tickets for the meal, which will be held on Monday, April 8, cost £20 and can be bought directly from Saffron or by contacting Tanya Russo on 07886 077158.