Lara Scott, was born deaf and knows the benefit of having a specialised deaf education, it wasn't until she gained a place in a deaf school as a child that her education took off and she learnt to read and write.

Now, in a bid to help others who have not had the same access to a deaf education she has, the 19-year-old is preparing to travel to the other side of the world to help renovate a school for deaf children in Sri Lanka.

Travelling to the south east Asian country in December with the volunteer organisation Voluntears, which is specifically tailored towards the needs of deaf people, Miss Scott will work with other volunteers to help build and renovate a dormitory at a school not far from the city of Colombo.

Miss Scott said:'Sri Lanka is a beautiful place but it's also very poor place and deaf people don't have the same access to education they do here.

'I can really relate to going to a deaf school and want to improve the lives of the pupils there, it's close to my heart.

'I always wanted to travel and help support other deaf children, especially in the [developing world],' she said.

Julie Dwyer, a deaf community support worker at the Deaf Centre who has known Miss Scott since she a child said she was immensely proud of Miss Scott: 'I remember that Lara talked about wanting to volunteer and help the deaf community in [developing countries] several years ago,' she said.

'I would have loved to be able to do this when I was at her age, being deaf myself and wanting to be a volunteer would have meant going to a 100pc hearing group, who would have no idea how to support one deaf volunteer, so I never went ahead.

'The group Lara is going with is perfect for her, with access to BSL language all the time there's no fear of the trip being stressful due to a language barrier,' she said.

Already preparing for the trip to Sri Lanka, Miss Scott is now fundraising the £1,100 she needs to pay for her accommodation and food while in Sri Lanka as well as the materials she'll need to help renovate the dormitory.

Hoping to hold a host of activities to help her reach her fundraising target, Miss Scott said any excess raised would go towards the school in Sri Lanka.

To donate to Miss Scott's Gofundme page visit: gf.me/u/q2qzba