Calne pupils for mountain challenge (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Calne pupils for mountain challenge

3:55pm Thursday 16th February 2012 in News

A group of hearty souls from John Bentley School in Calne are taking on a mountainous challenge, as they head to the Alps.

They are going to take on the Tour du Mont Blanc, a 170km trek that circles the Mont Blanc Massif and passes through France, Switzerland and Italy.

The 12 students face a task that challenges even the most seasoned walkers.

The teenagers, currently in years 10, 11 and 12, will take on the mountain range next summer.

They will fly to Switzerland then take the train to Chamonix, in France, to embark on acclimatisation walks. The group will then attempt to walk half the Tour de Mont Blanc over five days, covering about 18km a day.

They will be camping overnight so will carry equipment and food for the duration of their trip, which will see them bed down next to glaciers and spend one night at a mountain refuge.

They will complete their trek in Italy and from there catch the train through the Mont Blanc tunnel back into France to fly home.

They are raising the £1,500 each for the trip themselves through fundraising activities and part-time jobs.They have been holding cake sales, bag packing at the local Co-op and are holding a car wash. Some have been doing sponsored challenges such as the swimathon and doing the White Horse Trail. And they are all donating 10 per cent of their funds to Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Simon Parry, John Bentley maths teacher and the expedition leader, said: “This will be one of the best experiences of their lives so far.”