A YOUNG man who spent a month helping disadvantaged and disabled children and young adults in Sri Lanka has thanked the people of Alcester for their support.

Matt Newby, aged 20, turned to the town for help funding his placement.

He said throughout his fundraising he had “annoyed people a lot” but said his family were very grateful for the donations.

“We are all very thankful for the generosity of the people of Alcester,” he said.

As part of his fundraising, during the town's street markets, he sold raffle tickets from his mum’s High Street store, Dawns Little Shop.

Mr Newby arranged the placement with SL Volunteers after finishing his theatre studies degree at the University of Derby.

The organisation only accepts applicants with in-depth knowledge in the field of performance and Mr Newby has been acting since he was a child.

“I’d just finished at University and a lot of people want to do a gap year, but I am not a gap year sort of person, I need to be doing something constructive.” he said.

The placement allowed him to work with disabled children and young adults suffering from a range of conditions and help nursery school teachers who are aspiring primary school teachers.

The scheme uses performance to make learning the language more engaging for the students, helping them to express themselves and boosting their confidence.

“English is one of the world’s most spoken languages, learning it will give them immeasurable advantages in the future,” he explained.

“If they know English quite well they are 33 per cent more likely to be employed.”

Speaking on the trip, he said: “It was fantastic. It was like stepping into another world.”

Recently, Mr Newby, whose family have lived in Alcester for more than a decade, was accepted onto a PGSE course at the University of Warwick.