North West

Sue Hayward visited Watamu on holiday with her husband Dave after she'd had a difficult period in her own life including a family bereavement.

The experience changed her life forever.

She was so moved by the poor conditions for the village's children that she set up a registered charity to raise money to build three new schools.

Thanks to her fund raising 700 local children are now in full time education and they are also benefiting from sponsorship of their school uniforms and provision of meals.

The happy, smiling faces of the children are a testament to one woman's vision and hard work.

"I feel I'm putting hope into the hearts of children and it's a very special job," she told Inside Out.

Looking forward

Now Sue has even bigger plans for the future.

Brighter future - a Watamu child.

She’s put her hotel on the market and bought a plot of land on which she hopes to build a 'happy house' – an orphanage for up to 100 children.

Many of their parents died through the prevalence of HIV in the region.

Sue and her husband Dave plan on moving to Watamu and devoting the rest of their lives to the orphans.

It wasn’t the retirement that Dave had envisaged, but Sue says it’s a new start for both of them.

"People look to retirement as the end of their lives but we don't want to be stuck on the prom in Blackpool watching it rain.

"We want to be here helping with these children. There's so much to look forward to."