WAR and natural disasters are far removed from daily school life for most young people in Bury.

But students at Elton High School gained an insight into life in troubled areas around the globe, with a visit from an award-winning journalist.

Emma Graham-Harrison, international affairs correspondent for The Guardian and Observer newspapers, held students in thrall as she described an array of experiences she'd encountered while working around the world, from being embedded with soldiers during the war in Afghanistan, to being one of a few reporters working in North Korea, to witnessing distressing scenes at the site of an earthquake in China.

The intrepid reporter also shared the inspiration behind the work that she does by giving students a whistle-stop tour of the history of female conflict journalists, as well as highlighting some fascinating figures in current conflicts.

And as well as sharing some of the dramatic aspects of life in challenging circumstances, Emma, who speaks four languages and studied Mandarin at university, also shared more lighthearted tales of daily life in a house near Kabul with her two pet dogs, of time spent working in Spain reporting on La Liga football and of her early writing career which involved reporting on oil prices.

The writer, honoured at this year's UK Press Awards, also held a careers advice workshop session for students interested in working with languages or in the media.

The visit was organised as part of the Speakers for Schools programme, which enables state schools to receive visits from high-profile figures who can provide inspiration to students.

Emma said: "The students were very welcoming and it was great to get the chance to meet them. I hope that some of them will be inspired to consider careers in languages and journalism."

Headteacher Jonathan Wilton said: "Emma was an inspiration to our students and we were delighted that she was able to come here.”

He added: “We want every child who studies here to have high aspirations for their future and to learn about the world beyond their immediate horizons, so she was an ideal speaker to have in our school."