An award-winning regional newspaper reporter is taking a year out from her job to undertake voluntary work in Africa.

Lucy Adams, the chief reporter at Glasgow’s The Herald, will head to Ghana with her husband Andy to work with Voluntary Service Overseas.

She has worked in Scottish newspapers for 11 years but will take a year’s sabbatical to work in an advocacy and fundraising role in Ghana.

The couple will head out to the country early next month, where Andy will work on a Cadbury Cocoa Partnership project.

Their blog says: “We have chosen to spend nine months working with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in Koforidua, Ghana.

“Instead of sending food or money to the world’s poorest countries, VSO sends people to build local capacity – whether by training midwives and teachers or helping transform government policy.

“The emphasis is on transferring skills to enable local people to deliver measurable and sustainable development of their communities.”

Lucy won the Journalist of the Year Award at the Scottish Press Awards in April.