A LEARNING experience of a lifetime was promised to students who recently visited Borneo. But it was not only them that developed - their leader in the jungle also learned a lot.

Mike King, grants administrator at the Leadership Trust in Ross-on-Wye, led a group of 17-year-olds on the overseas section of the Fulcrum Challenge.

They worked on rainforest regeneration, helped out in a children's home and climbed Mount Kinabalu.

All the activities were intended to stretch the young people taking part in the personal development programme.

On his first visit to Borneo, Mr King said he got as much out of it as they did.

"It was the first time I had tried to develop people in that kind of environment. Trying to develop them while I was also being stretched myself was quite demanding - but enjoyable.

"There were memorable experiences but that was not the primary reason why I was there."

The Fulcrum Challenge is taken up by students from across the UK, encouraging them to broaden their education outside the classroom by looking at values and cultures of developing countries.