STUDENTS were so moved during a trip to a Romanian orphanage they decided to present the youngsters there with a gift.

The 15 teenagers from Redcar and Cleveland College, who were visiting as part of their children’s care, learning and development programme, donated a cow called Racco to the Bratca orphanage to provide much-needed milk.

The teenagers spent seven days in Oradea, meeting and working with disadvantaged and abandoned children.

But when they visited the Bratca orphanage, which cares for children with mental and physical disabilities, they decided to do something extra to help.

After a frenetic exchange of communications with staff back at the college, the group received approval to spend £200 of their funds from the Sir William Turner Foundation Trust to buy the cow.

The orphanage will use Racco, not only to provide milk, but also to produce other dairy products, such as cheese, which they would not otherwise be able to afford.

Liam Cowan, 18, who is studying level three childcare, said: “The trip has been the best experience of my life so far and the experiences I have had while in Romania will stay with me forever.

“The conditions that the children live in out there really make you appreciate the life we have in the UK and it was so rewarding that we were able to make a contribution by purchasing Racco for the orphanage.”