SHE has seen harrowing sights that will remain with her for the rest of her life - but Basingstoke woman Hayley Nicholls has no regrets about getting involved in a mercy mission in an earthquake-hit nation.

Miss Nicholls spent five months working for a UK charity in Pakistan, helping survivors of the 2005 earthquake disaster as they continue to rebuild their lives.

Miss Nicholls, of Coombehurst Drive, went to the disaster area on an internship programme with healthcare charity Merlin.

The 27-year-old, who attended Richard Aldworth Community School - now Aldworth Science College - and later Queen Mary's College, said: "I was there during the winter period, which was particularly difficult. The conditions were not ideal - women were having to give birth in tents - but the people remained positive."

The devastating earthquake struck the mountainous parts of northern Pakistan and India on October 8, 2005, killing 73,000 people.

Thousands of families lost their homes and livelihoods and many faced the onset of the Himalayan winter wondering how they would survive.

Merlin, which is the only specialist UK agency that provides healthcare and medical relief for people caught up in natural disasters, was among the first organisations to arrive in the region.

The charity had two priorities - to provide emergency treatment for the injured, and to establish medical services for families who were set to spend the winter living in tents and improvised shelters.

During the first four days, Merlin's medical teams had treated 350 people and evacuated 40 of the most serious cases to hospital by helicopter.

In the weeks that followed, five tented clinics were set up to care for people living in mountain villages that were only accessible on foot or by air.

Miss Nicholls flew out to join the relief effort in September last year, working alongside Merlin's 20 international and 145 Pakistani workers, most of them healthcare professionals.

She was based in Islamabad and, as an assistant to Merlin's country director in Pakistan, her role involved attending meetings with UN representatives, non-governmental organisations and the Pakistan Government, who were all working in partnership with the charity.

"The Pakistani people were lovely," she said. "They were welcoming and hospitable to all the foreigners and were grateful for the aid that they were receiving."

Miss Nicholls became interested in humanitarian work following a month-long trip to Bosnia to help internally displaced people while studying English and marketing at university. This inspired her to do a Masters degree in humanitarian aid, human rights and refugees three years ago.

After completing the postgraduate qualification, she undertook voluntary work in South America and India before embarking on an eight-month internship with Merlin.

Although her work with Merlin is now over, Miss Nicholls has nothing but praise for her former employer and hopes to find similar work in the future.

She said: "Merlin is a good organisation with highly-skilled professionals that works in remote areas where no other agencies are working.

"Thousands of people in Pakistan would not have had any access to healthcare if the charity had not been there."