The Llanidloes as-Sawiya Friendship Association has welcomed a very special visitor to the town.

Adnan Hussein, headteacher at the boys’ secondary school in as-Sawiya, came to talk to members as part of an exchange visit to the UK by 14 head teachers from Palestine in a project jointly funded by the NUT and the Erasmus Foundation.

As well as spending two days in both primary and secondary schools in Llanidloes, Mr Hussein’s talk covered the tribulations of trying to run a school in the occupied West Bank.

As well as teaching the usual academic subject areas, he said his school also provides activities and psychological support for students to foster hope and positivity in the face of such difficulties as the imprisonment and, in some instances, deaths of siblings and parents.

Despite all of this, approximately 200 students from the school attain university places each year.

Mr Hussein brought traditional clothes, paintings and artifacts for people to enjoy. They shared Welsh and Palestinian food and music and, through the generosity of a local donor, Mr Hussein was presented with a cheque for £500 to buy teaching resources which, due to the occupation, are limited.

Pictured (from left) are Adnan Hussein, Marg Munyard and Colin Penfold.