A TEENAGER needs a helping hand to go on a trip of a lifetime next year.

Schoolgirl Amy Lyons, 13, from Andover, hopes to go to Tanzania as the youngest member of a Camps International delegation on a four-week mission to sites including camps near Tanga, Moshi, Lake Manyara, the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and Camp Ndarakwai, a private wildlife conservation area.

During this time, the group will be in remote areas of the country to help improve the quality of life for people there, most of whom do not have access to clean water.

Amy and her Camps International colleagues will work on various building projects, teach local children English and participate in wildlife conservation projects such as planting native rainforest trees.

In her down time and to experience as much of the country as possible, the intrepid John Hanson Community School pupil will trek through the Usambara mountains and go on a safari.

However, to go on the trip, Amy needs to raise £4,000 to cover the costs.

The 13-year-old said: “This trip will not be easy. It will be a mental and physical challenge, particularly because I will be the youngest person on the trip. There will be 15 students and two teachers going from my school.

“We will be able to make a really positive impact on the local people in Tanzania with our work in the community. These will create community assets that will benefit the local people for many years to come.

“It will be a truly amazing experience, completely outside my comfort zone and experience. During the four weeks, we will be living in tents and camp-style accommodation close to the villages we will be helping, which will be at various locations. Lions are my favourite animals and I would love the opportunity to see them in the wild.

“I would be most grateful if anyone could sponsor and help me meet my £4,000 target for this good cause.

Her mother, Hester Lyons, a geographic information systems developer at environmental consultancy RSK Group Ltd, which has contributed £1,000 to Amy’s fund, added, “Amy has always had a passionate interest in animals, wildlife and the environment.

"She devours documentaries like the Big Cat Diary and anything with David Attenborough in it, so being able to see some of these animals in the wild will be a dream come true. She loves cats, big cats in particular, so, when the opportunity was raised in school, she did not hesitate for a moment to try to convince us to let her go on the trip.

“As a family, we are very proud of Amy’s decision to go, as she can be quite shy and it will be a real adventure and challenge for her. Her main interests are drawing and animation and animals, especially cats."

Anyone who wishes to sponsor Amy can do so via justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amy-lyons.