INTREPID Germaine Kemble of Sherston has returned after working with mentally and physically disabled children in Peru for six months.

Based in the Sacred Valley in the south east of Peru, former teacher Mrs Kemble, 59, worked at the Rainbow Centre, founded three years ago by the charity Kiya Survivors.

There, with the help of a team of seven UK volunteers and eight Peruvian full-time staff, 32 children suffering from conditions such as Down's Syndrome and autism are educated and cared for.

Mrs Kemble said the children's affection had been "overpowering".

She said most were from poor backgrounds, but they always came to school with a smile. "It was horribly difficulty to say 'adios' to the brave children who would never cry, rarely fight and were so gentle and unselfish," she said.

Visit www.kiyasurvivors.org for details of the charity.