A TEACHER has told of her delight at meeting the Sri Lankan children whose school her Kidderminster pupils are helping to rebuild.

Sri Lankan teacher, Manel Macdonald, flew to her home country last month to personally hand over a cheque for £800 raised by pupils at Franche Middle School.

The cash is now part of a £250,000 fund to be used to build a state-of-the-art three-storey building in place of the original Kannangara school on the southern coast at Galle that was completely destroyed by the Boxing Day tsunami.

All that survived the disaster was a single building containing two classrooms, which are now used on a rotation basis for lessons for the school's five to 16-year-olds.

It is hoped the new facility, which will have a huge wall at the front to block the path of any future tidal waves, will be ready by Christmas.

Mrs Macdonald said of her visit: "I wasn't actually expecting to see any of the pupils because it was the summer holidays.

"But when I spoke to the head, he said the children would be there because they had missed so much school that they and their teachers had chosen to go in."

She added: "They had been given new uniforms and some of them had never worn shoes before and it was quite funny to see them walk because it was like wearing lead weights.

"I was lucky enough to meet all these children and they were very grateful," she added.

Mrs Macdonald, who met up with the man who organised the aid effort for the school during her trip, said she hoped the fund-raising effort would continue.

"It's all very well having the school but they've got to equip it," she explained.

"It's so primitive out there but this school is beyond their wildest dreams."

She said she intended to follow the progress of the school closely and keep in contact with the project organisers.