YOUNG people from Salisbury are being given a "life-changing opportunity" to make a difference to local communities in the Philippines.

The group of students from Wiltshire College have been working alongside disaster response charity Serve On at Salisbury Fire Station to gain a nationally recognised search and rescue qualification.

The course will culminate in a trip to Cebu in the Philippines. Fundraising is being carried out but due to limited funds only about four students will be able to go to the Philippines.

"The idea was to get the guys and girls to do something meaningful. This is going to be a life-changing opportunity for theses guys and girls," said Craig Elsdon, Serve On operations manager.

"We would like to take a lot more [students] but it comes down to money. To get more of those students out there would just be awesome and means the bigger impact we can have on this country. Everyone that comes back from this trip will be changed for the better."

Serve On and the Wiltshire College students will be working alongside Chilmark-based charity Team Rubicon UK, Dentaid, and the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF). Volunteers will be helping rebuild classrooms and the Wiltshire College students will be putting together a "classroom in a box", including stationary, and will be able to deliver these items personally.

Serve On will also be working with ERUF by providing training to volunteers.

Craig says the opportunities to help communities in the Philippines are "enormous" and that a large percentage of the children live at the city dump.

"We are really keen to work with people to make a sustainable impact," added Craig. "It benefits those people over there and kids from here. The intention is to that it going to be an enduring project."

"It is going to be intense work for everybody. I'm not saying it is going to be a holiday, it definitely is not. The benefits for the people that go out and do this work is almost as tangible as the benefits to the people you go and help. Helping people you have never met before is just about one of the best things you can do for yourself. We're really looking forward to it."

Anyone interested in sponsoring the students' trip to the Philippines contact Craig at Serve On by emailing info@serveon.org.uk.