HEREFORDSHIRE-BASED company PGL, which offers adrenaline-packed residential trips for children, is launching a new scheme to help fund school trips for families struggling in the cost-of-living crisis.

PGL's Breakthrough Fund is aimed at giving schoolchildren a chance to benefit from residential outdoor trips, irrespective of their financial background.

CEO Anthony Jones said: "Every week I see children overcoming challenges while staying away from home for the first time without their parents. These breakthroughs are a life-changing experience that every child should receive."

The Breakthrough Fund will offer a range of funding support, dependent on the number of families in need at each school, with the company paying for up to 50 per cent of the total cost of trips.

The fund follows the launch of PGL's new Reach educational programme, which has been designed alongside teachers to deliver education and development for pupils in accordance with Ofsted guidance.

On PGL trips, children enjoy activities like zip wire, climbing, abseiling, raft-building and archery, meals, and evening entertainment.

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With over 65 years of experience, PGL and its sister companies NST, EST and Studylink provide hundreds of thousands of young people with educational activity holidays, school trips, courses, sports tours, summer camps and ski trips every year. There are 19 PGL centres in the UK, France and Australia.

Almost two million pupils are currently eligible for free school meals and pupil premium funding, an increase of over five per cent in two years.

A survey of 365 schools, carried out by PGL earlier this year, revealed that schools with higher levels of pupil premium funding take part in outdoor learning less frequently than those that need less support.