JOHN Masefield six formers enjoyed an atom-smashing science trip of a lifetime, when they recently visited the famous CERN research facility in Geneva.

Their experience, at the cutting edge of science, was both unforgettable and out this world.

During the special visit, which was led by physic teacher, Dr Jared Lewis, the students "learned about particle accelerators and were taken to the control room of the giant ATLAS detector, which examines the remnants of collisions between sub-atomic particles travelling at nearly the speed of light".

There was also hands-on science fun and learning as well.

A John Masefield High School spokesman added: "The sixth-formers were able to get "hands on" with interactive elements in the exhibition on site and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"The visit will complement their A-Level Physics studies in an unforgettable way. Now look out for all the CERN T-shirts around Ledbury."

Earlier in their three day trip, the students also visited the UN headquarters, "before travelling to the CERN facility in the foothills of the Swiss Alps to hear talks about the instruments and experiments".

The spokesman added: "The Large Hadron Collider runs in a circle for 27 km at a depth of 100 m underneath the French-Swiss border and this is where the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle was recently confirmed."

Called by some, "the God particle", the Higgs Boson was first suspected by scientists in the 1960s, and its discovery helps to explain why some particles have mass when they should not.

In this sense, it can be seen as a building block of the universe; but it has proved to be very difficult to detect.

In July 2012, scientists at CERN announced the discovery of a particle which they suspected was the Higgs Boson.

But now they are looking into the possibly that there is no "standard model" for the particle, but multiple versions, each subtly different to the other.

The Higgs boson is named after Peter Higgs, one of six physicists who, in 1964, suggested that the particle had to exist.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2013.