AN auction has helped to pave the way for a trip of a lifetime to Peru for girls at Bury Grammar School.

The "auction of promises" event raised £3,000 and was one of a planned series of fund-raisers to finance next year's visit.

Some 20 pupils are to take part in a month-long trip to Peru next July under the World Challenge Expedition (WCE) scheme. They will be accompanied by two staff members and a team leader from the WCE.

Among the items which came under the hammer at the successful auction were a signed poster by tough guy actor Sylvester Stallone, Justin Timberlake concert tickets, Manchester United memorabilia and the free rental of a Spanish villa. Each pupil taking part in next summer's trip requires to raise £3,150, although most have already raised two-thirds of the total.

Mr John Wilkinson, design and technology teacher at the school who also runs the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme, said: "We became involved with the World Challenge Expedition when I took a group of pupils to Nepal three years ago.

"Next July, the trip to Peru will be split between a high altitude jungle trek and carrying out community work in a village. It will allow the girls to get a lot of team building expertise out of it."

The pupils will be taking part in a three-day training exercise in Buxton next month as part of their Peruvian preparations.