Teenagers are getting ready for a life-changing experience which will see them trekking through dense jungles and snorkelling with turtles and dolphins.

Fifteen pupils, aged from 15 to 18, embark on a month-long expedition from Phillip Morant School in Colchester today

They have been working towards the trip for nearly two years and have each raised £3,000 for a place.

They have also raised extra funds to take with them, which will enable them to provide the materials and resources for the project they have been given by World Challenge Expeditions.

Each team member has had to undergo training in all areas of expedition life, such as walking with a full backpack and learning to put up a hammock and mosquito net, which is how they will be sleeping while in the jungle.

Teacher Ann Bodily said: "Once we arrive in Borneo they will be spending a considerable amount of time in the dense jungle, trekking to a small isolated village called Pa'Dali, where they will be renovating the village school, helping to repair and construct bamboo bridges across the rivers around the village, and working with the local children."

Published Tuesday June 29, 2004

Brought to you by the Evening Gazette