Borden Grammar students Dan and Scott Bennett have been hailed as fine examples after working hard to earn a long-haul charity trip.

The 17-year-old twins from Forge Lane, Upchurch, fly to Peru on Sunday morning to take part in a month-long school project to help the country’s poorer communities.

Bobbing windows firm, Kent Trade Frames, heard of their exploits and donated a hefty sum towards their travelling costs.

The boys raised the rest of the cash - which amounted to about £7,000 - by taking on an assortment of jobs around the village, including car cleaning, gardening and dog walking.

It took them two years to reach their target.

The company’s owners, Chris and Bernard Sketchley, are full of admiration for the students.

Bernard said: “We watched the boys grow up us kids and got wind that they needed to raise money for their Peru trip.

“We helped top up their funds on a monthly basis but their attitude towards money really impressed us, because they said, ‘we don’t want it given to us - we’ll work for it’.

“When you hear the youth of today being criticised, here you have two youngsters who are willing to go out and earn.”

The twins’ expedition to Peru will include “interacting” with communities to build a new water system.

They are also scheduled to visit Machu Picchu, a mountainous 15th century Inca landmark which was designated a World Heritage site in 1983.

The trip’s been described as “definitely not a holiday” but it almost certainly will be a life-enhancing adventure in one of the globe’s remote and exotic regions.

It’s going to involve lots of trekking, back-packing, hostels and sleeping beneath the stars, which for Dan, is as mysterious as the great Machu Picchu.

He said: “I’ve never been camping before so I won’t know if I like it until I get there.

“But we’re lucky to get this great opportunity to experience a different culture, somewhere which isn’t maybe as well developed as England.

“It was hard work getting the money together for the trip, but it’s going to be worth it.

“I’d like to thank Chris and Bernard from Kent Trade Frames for sponsoring us from the start.”

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