A TRIO of friends from Studley High School are embarking on “a once in a lifetime opportunity” as they gear up to join a conservation expedition in Borneo.

Jade Griffiths, Harriette Voce and Emily Saunders, all aged 16, will fly to Kota Kinabalu on Sunday, July 23, ahead of their four-week trip to the rugged Asian island.

They will join a team of volunteers on projects including the construction of a kindergarten in Bongkud, restoration of the Supu forest reserve, and work on a school in Narawang.

Harriette, who along with her two friends has just completed her GCSEs, said: “To have the opportunity to do this was something I couldn’t pass up.

“There is a lot I’m going to get out of it and it will help me to become more self-sufficient and independent while also experiencing other people’s cultures.”

Jade added: “It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. At one point we will be going to an orangutan sanctuary and help out there which I am looking forward to the most.”

As well as visiting the Sepilok Organgutan Sanctuary, the teens will also immerse themselves in the local culture, learn Malay, and join in with local music and dance recitals.

All three have raised around £4,800 each over 18 months for the Camps International led course, through events such as coffee and cake mornings and washing teachers’ cars.

Emily added: “We held a spring fair which raised £200 and I have also made bags with my aunt and sold those to raise money.

“It will be a different climate but I am looking forward to it.”

Logging and land-clearing are among the greatest threats to the island, while deforestation and hunting have forced the Bornean orangutan to become critically endangered.

The trio will return from their charity work on August 20.