A FAILING Chippenham schoolboy who turned his life around to become a Cambridge graduate has been working with former US President Carter on the response to Ebola.

Ben Jones, 22, said: "At one point on my school report I had eight concerns out of 10 subjects.

"I started working night shifts in a factory in half-term and thought, was it what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? Then I became the person who is thrown out by the library staff at the end of the day."

When he left Sheldon School four years ago, he went on to read politics and international relations at Cambridge.

Earlier this year he was working at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia helping to educate people in Liberia on hygiene practices. The non-profit public policy centre was set up by the late 1970s president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn to fight disease and poverty around the world.

Mr Jones said: "I met them on numerous occasions and it was an absolute privilege to be able to work with two people who have contributed so much good to humanity. They have almost eradicated [the parasitic infection] Guinea worm. Mr Carter is 90 and still active, it's incredibly inspiring. During his presidency he didn't declare war on anybody."

After spending January to April there he flew to Kazakhstan where he was part of the British delegation observing the presidential election, 25 miles from the Chinese border.

While he there he met Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian who in 1963 was the first woman to fly in space, who was also there to report on the democratic process.

He said: "She was a bit more qualified to observe the election than I was.

"You're not there to change anything, just simply write down what you see. It as good to make a positive contribution.

"I just apply for things, persistence is the key. Apply for everything and make the most of every opportunity."

Last week he returned to Sheldon School in Chippenham to give a motivational talk to 200 year 12s.

Head of year Nicola Butterworth said: "Ben is an outstanding ambassador for our school.

"He has always kept in touch since he left. He didn't find school the most easy, and is the first to say he's glad he had setbacks in exams lower down the school, because it really drove him forward. He has achieved masses, through absolute tenacity and hard work."

Mr Jones has already moved onto his next challenge - he flew out last week to Cuba where he will be cycling across the breadth of the country.