Made in Chelsea star Francesca Hull swapped the swanky bars and elite shops on the King’s Road for a "humbling" visit to Ghana with the Fairtrade Foundation that has had a life-changing effect. The trip made the reality TV star appreciate her blessings even more. "It made me realise that I don’t want to be materialistic and I don’t want to stress over silly things, like what people think of me," she told HELLO! Online.
"It really made me think about the money we spend on things we don’t need," added Francesca, who is more widely known as Cheska. "In Ghana, the things that are important are having enough food to eat, clean water and access to healthcare. "Cheska, who shares a London flat with her former Made in Chelsea co-star Ollie Locke, visited remote villages in Ghana and met female farmers, many of whom are widowed and left to manage cocoa farms on their own. She also dropped into a local school, where she helped teach a class, and visited a banana plantation.
The TV star, who is co-owner of Big Smoke PR, also delighted locals by handing out supplies of Divine chocolate, which is made from the locally farmed cocoa beans. She had a queue of excited schoolchildren waiting to be receive chocolate coins – local villages are usually unable to keep supplies of the chocolate as it melts in the scorching African heat.
Bangkok-born Cheska says she wants to use her fame to help others. "I think more people should do it," she says. "I have gone from being a normal PR girl to suddenly being on television and having my life in the public eye, but doing things like this trip to Ghana brings you back down to earth and makes you appreciate how lucky you are."
