A daring group of students from the borough is planning a record-breaking expedition to the South Pole.

The lower-sixth form students from The John Lyon School will endure blisteringly cold conditions as they trek through Antarctica, trying to be the first group to conquer one of the peaks of the Ellsworth Mountain Range.

The teenagers will set off in November next year on their ten-day expedition, following in the footsteps of past explorers such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE and Robert Falcon Scott.

James Caldecourt, 17, is one of the members of the team who is going to take the challenge.

He said: "We all enjoy the outdoors and have some sort of experience.

"So this would really be the next step up, the pinnacle of outdoor challenges."

However, at the moment, the South Pole is still a distant dream as the boys have to raise £260,000 to fund the expedition.

They have decided to try to raise £360,000 and donate the excess money to children's charities.

The pupils have arranged a series of fundraising events, including a tyre pull across Harrow-on-the-Hill, and they are appealing for sponsorship from local businesses.

The six will have to undertake a series of gruelling training programmes as they prepare mentally and physically for the expedition.

They will take part in training sessions in Scotland and Norway, practice mountain climbing in Britain in April next year and depart for Chile towards the end of next year to make final preparations.

James Kerley, 16, is the second youngest member of the team from the school, in Middle Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill.

He said: "It will be tough, but ultimately very satisfying. It will show complete dedication and the willingness to stick at something to complete this challenge.

"I also think to be able to work with five peers for such a long time shows a lot of dedication."

The pupils will chart their progress over 20 months with blogs and video reports, filming their expedition and uploading directly to a website from the South Pole.

For further information about the expedition and details of how to sponsor the team, contact Ralph Durbridge on 0208 872 8400, or email staff.durbridge@johnlyon.org