CHARITY is famously said to begin at home, but one Stocksfield student is keen to spread goodwill across the world.

Former Queen Elizabeth High School student Ollie Allcock has recently returned from a year’s work in Zambia.

The 19-year-old, spent 12 months teaching science and maths to children at a school in the Luangwa Valley.

And inspired by the relentless positivity of the children, amid such adversity and widespread poverty, Ollie returned home determined to continue to help them.

So this year’s famous Wheelbirks live Nativity, at which Ollie will play Joseph, has raised much-needed funds for Project Luangwa; a charity which sponsors vulnerable children through school.

Ollie became involved with Project Luangwa through gap year charity Project Trust.

After completing his A-levels, the student was keen to see more of the world before embarking on a degree course in engineering at Glasgow University.

Ollie was posted to Zambia to work at the Mambwe Secondary Boarding School in the Luangwa Valley.

The school is one of several supported by Project Luangwa; sponsoring children to complete their education.

Ollie said: “The Luangwa Valley is huge but completely devastated by HIV and malaria.

“There are huge numbers of orphaned children and lots of subsistence farmers who make enough to get by but can’t progress.

“The scale of the poverty out there is immense.

“You see things on TV and you see the footage and the celebrities there, but you don’t get an idea of the true scale.

“It is every single day of someone’s life that they go through that, and the sheer numbers of people who have absolutely nothing.

“Project Luangwa takes vulnerable children who don’t have a chance and they give them a chance.”

As well as teaching every day at Mambwe school, Ollie also established a rugby sevens team for the youngsters.

Ollie is a former member of Tynedale Colts rugby team and still plays for Tynedale when he is home from university.

His younger brother is a member of the under-14s team and sent out Tynedale Rugby Club shirts for Ollie’s students.

Ollie returned home in September, bringing home a wealth of memories and a determination to continue supporting those less fortunate.

He said: “I met one student in particular; he was a sports prefect in his last year of school.

“He had no parents, and had absolutely nothing, but he was one of the smiliest and most positive kids I’ve ever met.

“I really wanted to help him, and I thought there will be more kids like that and I want to help them.

“When Lucinda Richardson from Wheelbirks Parlour contacted me asking if I wanted them to fund-raise for Project Luangwa I was so happy.”

Organisers say they are on track to raise over £2,000 for the project from the event.

This year’s iss the fourth live nativity at the Stocksfield farm, with five performances from Tuesday, December 20, to Thursday, December 22.

Each year, staff volunteer to dress up and take to the farmyard to act out the traditional Nativity story for audiences.

Guests follow the story from the farmyard, to the shepherds in the field, watch the wise men travel down the track and finally come to the stable, where the Nativity scene unfolds before their eyes.

After playing a shepherd in the 2014 Nativity, Ollie took on the role of Joseph this year, accompanied by Becky Stewart as Mary.

But the entire staff of Wheelbirks always get involved in the popular performance, whether donning a tinsel halo and getting on stage, creating inns and stables or preparing the animals for their moment in the spotlight.

Alongside the cows and goats of Wheelbirks were Marge and Bob, a pair of donkeys on loan from Roddy Stobo, of Stobo’s stores in Corbridge and Wylam.

The choir of St James’ Church at Riding Mill sang at all of the performances and the Rev. Beth Rookwood and the Rev. Lesley Chapman gave the closing prayers.

For more information on Project Luangwa visit: www.projectluangwa.org/