Along with friends Caroline Izatt, Joyce Bell and Betty Campbell, Kay – a principal guidance teacher at Larbert High – spent three weeks undertaking voluntary work in the Eastern Cape town of Alice.

The four women, who are all members of Alva Parish Church, last year set up charity Aid4AIDS, and successfully raised £6000 to take with them on their trip.

Larbert High School was instrumental in this fund-raising, collecting more than £2000 through sponsored cycles, talent shows and even foot massages.

Locally the Larbert cluster primary schools and the Strathcarron Singers also raised some much needed money.

Expecting a culture shock, Kay and her companions were initially surprised by the colonial grandeur of Alice.

The 55-year-old said: "It was very large and busy with lots of shops and a famous university. The house we were staying in was owned by Europeans and very grand. It didn't seem in need of help."

But once the quartet got to the townships they had their work cut out for them.

Teaching final year students in various high schools Kay, and Alva Academy teacher Betty, found themselves with classes of up to 70 pupils.

Kay said: "The school buildings were all really run down and the wood was coming away from the metal frames on the desks.
"One school only had running water when it rained."

With school fees set at £7 a year, each class had very few resources.

Books are very expensive in South Africa and all one school wanted was 100 copies of Romeo and Juliet.

For the same money the women managed to buy another school a television, dvd player, digital camera, over head projector and screen.

The group split their funds between the schools and medical centres where Joyce, a Strathcarron hospice nurse, and Caroline, a hospital transfusion practitioner, helped HIV sufferers and gave workshops for home-based carers.

HIV/AIDS-related illnesses are, sadly, part of life in the area the women visited.

Kay said: "In the villages they said there are four funerals a week due to AIDS-related deaths."

The group was also keen to help locals help themselves.

This led to 1000 chickens, plus six months' food and medication, being bought for a village that already had a shed but no grant for livestock.

Kay and her group hope to return to the Eastern Cape in 2010, and Larbert High this year plans to send old football kits out.

Kay said: "We hope we've set the ball rolling."

For more on the ladies' efforts e-mail Caroline Izatt at carolineizatt@hotmail.co.uk