Teenager 'glad to be home' following Nepal earthquake

Former Charters pupil Abi Thornton, who was doing charity work in her gap year, says being back in North Ascot is a surreal experience after seeing the devastating effects of the earthquake which killed more than 6,000 people.

She and a friend were lucky to escape unharmed and spent hours sitting in the open air before taking shelter in the British Embassy where the aftershocks forced those sleeping to run outside throughout the night.

Abi, 18, said: “It’s good to be back, I’m relieved.

“It all feels very surreal. It’s almost as if people aren’t thinking about it as much over here.

“When it began happening, I was sitting on some stairs with a friend.

“We thought it was some drilling but then it got stronger, there were people throwing themselves to the ground and covering their heads.

“We were warned there might be the chance of an earthquake before we went, but you don’t actually think it will happen.” Abi was in Kathmandu, 80km away from the quake’s epicentre, when it struck just over a week ago.

She said the journey to find safety was distressing as she passed collapsed buildings and bodies being collected.

Her group was flown home to a tearful reception at Stansted airport in the early hours of Thursday.

Despite her traumatic experience, Abi says she hopes to return to Nepal next year to say goodbye to the people she didn’t have a chance to bid farewell to.

She said: “It hasn’t put me off going back.

“In a year or so I’d like to go to help.

“I didn’t get to say goodbye or thank you to many people, like my host family.

“I’d like to see them and see if there’s been any progress.” Abi was working to improve the livelihoods of a small rural village in Nepal with the Government-funded Voluntary Service Overseas and hopes to continue fundraising now she’s home.

Visit www.vso.org.uk to donate and help support the relief effort in Nepal.