Building International Links Between Wrexham And Lesotho

International education links between Wrexham’s schools and university will be on the agenda during a visit to Lesotho by Ian Lucas MP this week.

Mr Lucas is visiting Lesotho as part of a Parliamentary delegation following recent elections in the country. However, while he is there, Mr Lucas – who is also Labour’s Shadow Minister for Africa – is also meeting with staff at a school which runs a pupil exchange with one in Wrexham.

A number of schools in Wrexham are involved in educational exchanges with schools in Lesotho via the Dolen Cymru Wales Link charity. Among those who take part in Lesotho is St Saviour’s, in Hlotse in the north of the country.

During his visit, Mr Lucas will meet with staff and pupils at the school and hopes to further strengthen the links they have with Wrexham. A further group of pupils and teachers from St Saviour’s – the seventh visit since 2006 – is visiting the Maelor School, Penley in October.

He is also hoping to meet sports officials from the country during his visit, to discuss proposals for its teams to be based in Wrexham before the Commonwealth Games next year.

He said: “The links between Lesotho and Wrexham have gained wide recognition – they were even mentioned during the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

“Those links are particularly strong between educational institutions, and many young people from both Wrexham and Lesotho are learning more about each others’ lives thanks to those links.

“That is why I am so keen to develop those links further during my visit.”