A MENSTON schoolgirl has been recently selected for the trip of a lifetime.

Claire Leaver, a Year 12 student of St Mary's Comprehensive School, has been given the opportunity to visit a remote region of China.

As part of the Yorkshire Schools Exploring Society, Claire, 17, will be involved in mountain biking, treking and mountain walking around Quinghai. Claire is currently preparing herself physically for the challenging four week adventure.

Claire, a sports studies student, is hoping to monitor the effects of cycling at high altitudes. She will be measuring the recovery, pulse and heart rate of people of different ages and at varying altitudes. She will then use this information for her A-Level Sports Studies project which she will have to complete by March next year.

Claire had to undergo a rigorous selection process, fending off competition from dozens of other contenders, to fill one of only nine places on offer.

Claire's father and deputy headmaster of the school Kevin Leaver said: "The group is hoping to cycle 40-50km per day at a height of approximately 5 000 metres; they will be in safe hands as one of the group members is also a qualified doctor."

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