A FIRST responder has combined her passion for helping others with her teaching skills to assist students at a school in Zambia.

Geraldine McLaughlin, from Brantham, is a community first responder for the Manningtree First Responders who are a group of volunteers trained by the ambulance service to respond to life-threatening emergency calls within the local area.

With a love of first aid and teaching, the 48-year-old school teacher decided to take her sixth-form students from Kesgrave High School, in Suffolk, on a 4000-mile trip to Zambia Their aim was to build a large chicken coop to help create a sustainable income source for a remote school.

When her community first responder team from Manningtree heard of Geraldine’s plans, they wanted to help the Zambian school too and realised they could by donating spare first aid supplies.

Armed with donated supplies of bandages, medicines and first aid essentials, Geraldine worked alongside expedition leader Adam Evans and her students to combine their skills and deliver basic first aid sessions to the students while in the country last month.

Geraldine, who is also Head of Year 13 at the Suffolk school, said: “Clearly, we knew there were going to be many challenges in delivering a first aid lesson in this environment, not least being the language barrier.

“However, we managed to teach the class through some English they could understand, by drawing on the blackboard, using mime and practical demonstrations.

“This was such a hugely rewarding experience for us all.

“We hope these students can take the knowledge they’ve gained from us to help them deal with accidents and illness in their beautiful but challenging environment.

“Let’s hope they can take these new skills and pass it on other students and to people in their village.”