A TOTTINGTON Girl Guide is getting ready to embark on the journey of a lifetime to Uganda to take part in a community development project.

Travelling with 11 other guides, 17-year-old Caitlin Rose Birkett-Rothwell will participate in the International Opportunities (IntOps) scheme.

Caitlin Rose will travel to Uganda for two weeks in August 2016 and take part in a vital community development project orchestrated by Teams4you, aiming to help women and children improve their quality of life and "Develop with Dignity".

The IntOps project has been one of the core opportunities open to Girl Guiding members between the ages of 12 and 25 since its inception, with participants travelling as far afield as Morocco, Sangam, Peru and Armania. This is the first year girls will have travelled to Uganda.

Caitlin Rose, along with other members of her group, will have to raise all funds themselves before their trip. This will include Christmas fairs, bag packs, bake sales and an abseil down Holcombe Tower.

The teenager said: “I am honoured to have been selected to go on an IntOps trip. To be one of only three who were picked from Lancashire South East is quite a feat.

"I am looking forward to travelling to Uganda with the girls in my group. I believe this is going to be a life changing experience and I hope to make a real difference to the lives of the women and children over there. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will never forget.”

Caitlin Rose currently has a fundraising page at http://www.gofundme.com/uganda2016crbr