LUCKY students from Rawdon's Benton Park School are about to set off on a trip of a lifetime.

The six teenagers have spent the last 18 months planning the month-long trip to Peru. And now the 15 to 17-year-olds are counting the days before July 13 when they set off - and they believe it is the furthest any school in the area has been.

During their stay the girls and boys will trek into one of the deepest canyons in the world and live with local people in a small village. They will help out on a community project and carry out an extended trek into the high Andes mountains.

They will also take a trip down one of the tributaries of the Amazon into the rainforest. And to finish off they will visit the fantastic lost Inca city of Machu Picchu.

The trip has been organised through World Challenge Expeditions and each student has had to raise £2,800 towards the cost. During the last 18 months they have been working out their itinerary and fundraising and are now getting themselves fit for the trip. Teacher, Brian Rhodes, who is leading the trip, said: "They have worked incredibly hard to raise the money for the trip. As far as I'm aware, this is the first time a school from this area has ventured this far afield."

One part of the trip will involve trekking in the high Andes mountains up to a height of 50,000 metres and the students have spent a weekend camping in the Peak District to try to recreate the conditions.

Mr Rhodes said they would also spend some time living with people in a real village.

"They will be carrying out some sort of community project, it might be working in a school, doing some building or even organising football matches.

"The great thing about this expedition is that it is not tourism, it will be an adventure."

And sixth former Emma Beauchamp added: "We've been planning the trip for such a long time it's incredible to think that we're going in just a few weeks, it will be an amazing adventure."