The parents of teenager Cecily Eastwood, who was killed in a car crash in Zambia, have set up a charity to help orphans in her memory.

Cecily, 19, was teaching English, Geography, French and German at a school in Kitwe in June last year before going up to Cambridge University. She also helped at an orphanage for children whose parents had died of Aids.

Cecily died instantly after a tyre burst on a pick-up she was driving and it turned over three times.

Her father Basil Eastwood, who is British ambassador to Syria, and mother Alison live in The Manor Drive, Stonesfield, and have launched The Cecily Eastwood Zambian Aids Orphans' Appeal.

Mr Eastwood said in the weeks after Cecily's death £6,500 was raised by her family, friends and relatives for the charity CINDI - Children in Distress - which helps children orphaned by Aids. Mr Eastwood said: "Cecily was spending much of her spare time working with CINDI at the time of her death and in January of this year we decided to go out to Zambia to see what the charity was doing in order to decide whether we wanted to go on helping it in Cicely's memory.

"We decided emphat- ically that we did. CINDI told us they needed some £17,000 this year for education and with help we have effectively achieved this target already."

The couple have set the charitable trust named after their daughter to carry on raising money for the estimated 360,000 orphans in Zambia.

They are launching it this weekend with a drinks party at their home on Friday, September 11 and a mass picnic on Saturday.

Mr Eastwood added: "We will set up a display about CINDI and our visit to Kitwe. As a family we take comfort from the thought that we are continuing Cecily's work and we hope others will help us turn her tragedy into life and hope."

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