dedicated churchgoers have just returned from a trip to Malawi to build a new nursery school and educate locals on AIDS awareness, sanitation and self sufficiency.

Eleven members of Nailsea Baptist Church flew to south east Africa to work with people in rural villages. Before they left, the church raised �6,000 for the trip to pay for a new nursery building, teaching staff and equipment as well as blankets to give out to villagers.

Pastor Gary Woodall said: “It was totally overwhelming to see the poverty and to meet a whole group of people who have nothing but who enjoy life. People were living on dirt floors with no bedding. We provided blankets for them and we built the nursery and opened it.

“We left enough money for the school to run with teachers and teaching assistants for a whole year and we also took equipment such as pencils and pens.

“These people have absolutely nothing and yet the welcome we got was absolutely overwhelming. Wherever we went people would just come out singing.”

The five teenagers in the group also held puppet workshops and taught in the local schools.