Youngsters have raised £23,000 to fund a trip to The Gambia to help build a school.

Eleven friends aged from 16 to 19 have spent the past two years raising cash to enable them to help children in The Gambia.

The group will travel to the village of Tawuto on February 8, where they will help with building a new school over five days.

Eighteen-year-old Ellie Wooding, from Pelham Road in Gravesend, has been planning the project for three years.

She said: "I am just so excited. It's been such a long time coming and I just want to get out there and help as much as I can.

"It's going to be an amazing cultural experience and I can't wait to get on that plane"