PSYCHOLOGY students at Aberystwyth University have been finding time to volunteer abroad.

Chelsey Morris is currently on a study year out in Malta where she will also be giving up her free time to help a victim support and a refugee project.

Earlier this year, Chelsey and two other students, Harriet Batchelor and Emily Jacques, spent five weeks in Sri Lanka on mental health placements organised by volunteering organisation SLV Global.

The three students worked in teams that planned and ran therapeutic activity sessions in psychiatric facilities for people living with a range of mental health issues.

They also worked at schools and social initiatives for children and adults with disabilities and taught English in the local community.

Harriet said: “I visited various projects with service users with a vast range of special needs and mental health problems.

“Although at some points the experience could be overwhelming, on the most part it was uplifting to see service users engage with activities we had planned.”

As well as working with the local community, the volunteers lived with families, which provided them with a unique insight into Sri Lankan culture and daily life.

“Sri Lanka is an amazing, vibrant country with a rich culture and lots to offer,” Harriet said.

The weekends were full of travelling throughout Sri Lanka, we saw the cave temples in Dambulla and the elephants in the National Park and so much more.

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