SIXTH form students from the Heathland School in Hounslow had the time of their lives when they went on an Outward Bound project sponsored by The Allen and Allen Group recently.

A group of mixed ability students aged between 16 and 18 had to put away their play stations, TVs and other mod cons when they were treated to four days of high adventure in the picturesque setting of Aberdovey, Wales by the non-standard insurance intermediary, The Allen and Allen Group.

They willingly left comforts of home in the interest of broadening their horizons and testing themselves against the elements. The weekend, hosted by the award winning organisation Outward Bound Wales, included rock climbing, kayaking, walking, swimming and nerve testing high ropes and trapeze courses.

The group and their accompanying teachers also spent their first night in Wales fending for themselves in an unheated, unlit log cabin, located in Snowdonia National Park.

Designed to teach participants the skills of teamwork and self dependency and to pursue the idea that everyone is capable of achieving more than they realise, the course pushed each and every student to challenge themselves and gave them the opportunity to experience things not readily available in the areas in which they live.

For The Allen and Allen Group, this was an opportunity to give back to the local community and to highlight some of the principles key to its own success.

Tony Allen, Chief Executive explained: "By facilitating the Outward Bound course, we hope to bring home to the students the importance of team work and the need to strive to achieve the very best that they can."

He added: "It is important to us that we are able to work with local young people. Many of our staff are drawn from a catchment area that includes Hounslow and a number even attended The Heathland School. We strongly believe in providing long term opportunities to local people and a number of our management team today have worked their way up through the ranks, having joined the company at a young age."

Speaking after completing the trapeze course, Dan Collins, of the History Department and leader for the weekend, commented: "The course has provided students with a great opportunity to get away from television and computer games and has challenged each one of them to ask how far they can push themselves.

"Such experiences will stand the students in good stead for life beyond school. I hope this will become a regular outing and that everyone of our party will take something away from this weekend."