A mum has vowed to get the figure of Pamela Anderson to help her 14-year-old son make the trip of a lifetime to Peru.

Scores of students at Hardenhuish in Chippenham are to go on a month of charity work and personal development in South America in summer 2015, with each needing to raise nearly £4,000 for the Camps International trip.

For Owain Jennings of Kington Langley, who has autistic spectrum disorder, the expedition will be a big boost to his confidence and self-esteem.

His mum Sandra Mathias wants to do all she can to help him get there, while also being a healthy role model and has pledged to sacrifice snacks and cut out the carbs for six months in an attempt to shed three-and-a-half stone.

She started out at 13 stone after Christmas and has already lost 10lbs.

“I am very proud of Owain for wanting to take on this challenge and will do everything I can to support him,” said Mrs Mathias, 46, who works as a special needs teaching assistant in Brinkworth.

Owain, who will be 16 when he goes to Peru, said: “I am really thankful to my mum. This is a big challenge for her as she likes her food!

“From the information evening onwards I could not stop thinking and talking about it, and what a wonderful adventure this would be.

“The whole expedition would be like an outdoor classroom for me. I am a very hands-on person and prefer to learn by doing, rather than sitting at a desk, as I do struggle at school sometimes.”

To donate to Owain, visit http://ojperu15.wix.com/owainperu2015 He is joined in his fundraising venture by 15-year-old Jack Godwin, of Rumble Dene, Chippenham, who said: “I’ve always wanted to go to Peru since I was nine and I saw Machu Picchu on the telly. It’s really old but Westerners only discovered it in 1911.

“We’re going to help build a school and a library for deprived children in rural areas and plant some trees in the Amazon.

“I usually hang out with my friends and play on the X-Box. I think this will be a life-changing experience.”

Jack will hold a cake and biscuit sale at Emery Gate at 9am on Saturday, March 1, with goods baked by his mum, sister and friends.

And the following Saturday, on March 8, he and his friends will be doing a sponsored walk from Pewsham to McDonalds in their onesies.