A NEWPORT teenager swapped his books for a pair of boots as he set off for the Himalayas last week.
Joe Cooper-Gray, 19, of Tregarn Court, Langstone, left for Nepal on Thursday to take the trip of a lifetime.
For the next three weeks, the teenager will be taking part in an Adventure Alternative trek.
This will see Mr Cooper-Gray climb more than 12,000 feet to visit the villages of Bumbuir and Bupsa, where he will spend four days helping to put the finishing touches to a new school in each village.
Mr Cooper-Gray said it will be a physical challenge but something he is really looking forward.
He said: “I can't wait to learn about their way of life and get stuck in with helping to paint and varnish the schools for the local schoolchildren."
After leaving the villages, the Coleg Gwent student will explore Kathmandu's beautiful and ancient history and will also be taking part in an elephant trek through the Chitwan jungle. Mr Cooper-Gray raised the money to pay for the trip by working part-time delivering takeaways three times a week.
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