A FORMER Holy Family Catholic School pupil has successfully raised more than £1,500 to go to South America to help people living in poverty.

Imogen Gavins, 19, will travel to Bolivia on Saturday for a 12-week stay.

She applied to take part in the scheme through the Government-funded International Citizen Service scheme for 18 to 25-year-olds, and will be part of the development charity International Service.

Miss Gavins (pictured), who was born in Keighley, spent most of her live living in Oakworth before recently moving to Shipley.

She is currently studying for an extended diploma in animal management at Craven College.

To show her commitment to charity fundraising and to fund her trip she collected £1,550 in three months, attracting business sponsorship, staging presentations about Bolivia to school pupils in Bradford and organising bake sales.

"I'm pretty relieved to have raised the money," she said. "I had a lot of college work to do at the same time.

"It hasn't really sunk in that I'm about to leave. It probably won't till I actually get there."