Sheppey Scout Explorers are raising funds to pay for the trip of a lifetime.

James O’Neill, 15, Katelyn Berrill, 13, Sean Knight, 15, and leader Tracy Hankins, will join 100 other Kent Scouts next July and travel to Japan.

The journey to the south western Kirara-hama region is part of the quadrennial World Scout Jamboree, and will be the 23rd time such a gathering has occurred.

Scouts from all over the globe have met every four years – the only exceptions being during the Second World War – since 1920 to take part in activities together and improve understanding of different cultures.

To prepare for their travels in the Far East, the Sheppey youngsters have been learning useful Japanese phrases and been given etiquette tips for living in their host nation.

They will spend two days in Tokyo before truly immersing themselves in the culture by spending time with a Japanese family for the rest of the week.

They will then travel to the jamboree gathering and spend two weeks with their peers doing a range of activities.

Miss Hankins said: “They’ve been learning basic phrases, learning to recognise signs for stuff like the toilets.

“I think they [the Explorers] are feeling a mixture of everything – excited, nervous, apprehensive.

“It’s the trip of a lifetime, the chance we have to experience Japanese culture is second to none.” To raise the £3,500 needed to pay for the trip, the youngsters have been doing bag-packing, organised quizzes and raffles and hosted a bingo evening.