Isle of Wight school Christ the King College students visit Borneo

Accompanied by two members of staff, 18 students from Christ the King College embarked on the 28-day adventure.

Pupils, aged between 14 and 18, visited the Sabah region of the island, which forms part of Malaysia.

Spending much of their time on community projects, they planted trees, helped build community centres, made furniture and taught children at a local primary school.

Christ the King staff and students in Borneo (Image: Christ the King College)

Back row, from left to right: Liv Chinn, Kaydee Rose, Sam Willis, Seth Burton, Darcey Morgan, Inara Ford, Grace Webb, Lydia Greenhalgh, Harrison Armstrong, Zary Hristov, Ella Davie, Miya Shepherd and Abi Gilliam. Front row, from left to right: Nigel Davie, Joshua Brenchley, James Kirby, Oliver Flood and Xander Craggs (Image: Christ the King College)

They even built storm drainage to prevent monsoon flooding.

Led by local guides and sleeping in hammocks, students spent five days on a jungle trek in the foothills of Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in Borneo.

"A highlight of the trek was learning from the guides how to build and set traps for frogs in a mountain stream then cooking and eating their catch", Nigel Davie, from the school, said.

The trip was also an opportunity for students to learn about local culture, food and dance.

They heard some of the recent history of the region, including about the Sandakan Death March, which saw around 2,500 Australian and British prisoners of war killed in WW2, along with many locals.

Students stand in front of a war memorial (Image: Christ the King College)

Students doing their bit for the community (Image: Christ the King College)

Further adventures included several river safaris with students lucky enough to see wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys, macaques in the trees and close-ups with crocodiles lurking in the waters below.

Night-time jungle walks gave opportunities to spot a wide range of bird, reptile and insect life.

Nigel Davie added: "The students had the opportunity to develop key life skills, cultural understanding and a global perspective for an increasingly international 21st century.

"On their return to the UK, despite their fatigue, everyone agreed that they had had an amazing experience and are already asking when a similar trip can be organised again."

To raise funds for the trip, students held games of bingo, quizzes, cake sales, sponsored sporting events and even asked for donations for birthdays and Christmases.

Funding for transport to and from Heathrow was donated by Harris Fowler Solicitors.