Two aspiring Upminster pupils spent the half-term break visiting a West African country.

Sacred Heart of Mary Girls’ School pupils Lizzy Oliver and Caroline Lewis, both 16, along with seven other young Londoners, took a trip the Gambia to visit schools and receive training in youth work.

The trip formed part of the New Leaders programme, part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Lizzy, of Osborne Road, said: “I feel privileged to have had first-hand experience of a completely different culture and to have met new people. Through doing this course I have gained confidence, patience and organisation skills and now look forward to implementing these in to my daily life through helping others and leading the Bronze DofE group at my school.”

Caroline, of Berther Road, said: “Visiting The Gambia has been a great experience but also a learning curve. It was interesting to see the culture there and how different it was to what I expected. In the leadership sessions I learnt a lot about various topics, especially in diversity training. I hadn’t realised the in-depth knowledge needed to fully understand it.”