THE family of a former Northwood school pupil who died in a crash in Ecuador one year ago have visited the country to help set up a charity in her memory.

Kay and Graham Sadler left their home in Astons Road, Moor Park, this morning with their four children to visit the place where their 19-year-old daughter, Emily, died on April 12 last year.

Emily was on her way to Puerto Lopez as part of a three-month trip in Ecuador with travel company VentureCo when the bus she was in was hit by a lorry.

She was one of five young British women killed in the crash.

Now the family of the five girls, along with VentureCo, have headed off to Ecuador to set up a project to widen access to books for children at five schools in the Puerto Lopez region.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Sadler, said: "The schools there have very few books because it's a very under privileged area so we all thought it was a good idea."

The Sadler family have already held a number of fundraising events for the charity, Bisee Books – the name being drawn from the first letters of the girls' names.

They also set up the Emily Sadler Memorial Fund after her death so money could be donated to some of the charities that were close to Emily's heart.

Her former schools, St Helen's, in Eastbury Road, Northwood, and North London Collegiate, in Edgware, have helped to raise funds to go towards that.

As well as visiting the five schools to help set up book corners, the families also visited the crash site on Sunday.

Mrs Sadler said: "It will be difficult for us to see that but I want to see it because I have a picture in my mind of how it is but I want to see how it really is. I think it will help us in our journey of bereavement as well."

The lorry driver who caused the bus crash is also currently on trial.

Mrs Sadler said: "We don't have much feeling about the trial because it's more about knowing what happened rather than someone being convicted for it. We don't feel vindictive towards the person who did it because at the end of the day it was an accident and it doesn't bring the girls back.

"It has been a hard year, but someone gave me advice to surround myself by positive people because they bring out the better side in you and it's absolutely true."

Mr Sadler said: "At first it was quite difficult being at home because of all the people coming round asking how you are, but it's not as bad now and I just try to keep myself busy.

"Our daughter, Annelisa, has put all 77 of our old videos on DVDs and they have been quite hard to watch."

Go to www.biseebooks.org.uk to donate or go to www.cafonline.org to donate to the Emily Sadler Memorial Fund.