SIXTH-FORM students from Banbury have returned from a trip to India this summer.

A total of seven Banbury Academy pupils, aged 17 and 18, spent three weeks in northern India volunteering at a primary school and attempting the challenging eight-day Hampta Pass trek in the Himalayas.

Money was raised for the trip by holding car washes, bag packing sessions and fundraising appeals at parents’ evenings.

The trip in July and August was organised as part of World Challenge, which provides opportunities for student-led expeditions to build leadership skills and make young people more aware of the world around them.

Hannah Harding, 17, who was on the trip, said it had been an eye-opening experience.

Students from the Ruskin Road school flew to Delhi before travelling to the mountainous northern town of Patlikuhal to volunteer at the Leegan Government School.

While they were at the school, which has 18 pupils, the students donated sports equipment, painted a mural on the school wall and replaced windows which had been damaged.

The group then climbed the 4,250m tall Hampta Pass in Himachal, which involved walking for up to six hours each day and crossing ice glaciers.

Miss Harding said: “It was really hard, but the whole journey was just beautiful.”