A BAXENDEN student is about to embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to India courtesy of Thwaites Brewery.

Charlotte Cole, 19, of Chatterton Drive, has been chosen to join the annual Thwaites Scholarship on a two-week adventure in July.

Charlotte, who attends Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, forms part of a select group of 10 students from across the region who will undertake an orientation, homestay and community service project.

Charlotte, who was selected for the trip after a formal interview, said: “I was quite shocked that I was chosen but now I just can’t wait to go.

“I decided to apply for the scholarship because I’ve always wanted to travel. I was contemplating taking a year out and going travelling but it just costs so much.

“This trip will help me to gain some of the experiences I would have got travelling.”

After flying out to Delhi, the group will spend their first four days in one of country’s oldest cities, Dehradun, before spending time in a traditional Indian household, where they will gain a valuable insight into environmental issues such as herbal farming, tree plantations, forestry and eco-tourism.

The Thwaites Scholarship was established by Thwaites president John Yerburgh in the early 1960s and has evolved over the past four decades, allowing hundreds of students to benefit from the scheme.