STAFF at Penketh High School are hoping residents will support pupil’s fundraising efforts after they announced their latest trip will be to Ecuador in 2013.

This summer, 10 pupils from the Heath Road school raised more than £38,000 to travel to Namibia where they painted schools, taught pupils and built a greenhouse.

Fundraising now starts for the South American trip which will also include a visit to the Galapagos Islands.

Sue Jones, the teacher who has organised the trips, said: “These trips are fantastic for enterprise skills and helping pupils to learn about money.

“Parents are not allowed to give the cash for the trip to pupils. They have to work really hard to raise it by holding car boot sales, car washes, fashion shows and selling clothes.

“We go away for four weeks and parents don’t recognise their children when they come home because they are so mature and independent.”

Pupils who made the trip in the summer said that all their hard work during two years of fundraising was worth it after working with orphans in one of the poorest countries in Africa.

Olly Astley, aged 17, said: “The kids who we taught followed us everywhere.

“Once we were over there, we didn’t argue about the trivial things.”

Megan Brown, aged 16, said: “It was a bit scary teaching pupils that were older or the same age as me.

“We taught them about England and played games with them.”

For some of the African pupils, the school was the only contact they had with other people, as many were HIV orphans.

Sue added: “We will be working with community projects in Ecuador as well as conservation projects in Galapagos.

“It will be a great opportunity for pupils so I hope residents keep their eyes peeled for our events and support us where they can.”