Students from a Balham school have travelled to Cambodia where they will build homes after raising thousands of pounds to pay for the materials.

Sixth form pupils and members of staff Emma Salsbury along with Ben McCarthy and Enza Durban from Chestnut Grove School in Chestnut Grove, will spend the week building six houses for those less fortunate.

Over the last few months they have raised £6,000 by bag packing, taking part in a sponsored sky dive and organising a comedy evening at the school.

The total was boosted by an affordable art sale and cake sales at the school.

Helen Gerrard from the school’s modern foreign languages department said: “This is the first trip of its kind at Chestnut Grove and we hope it to be the start of many.”