SE1 pupils enjoy Outward Bound course paid for by Shard abseil

The Descent of The Shard, which took place on 3 September, saw the Duke of Edinburgh and 43 other fundraisers abseiling down the tallest building in Western Europe. The event raised just over £2.5 million for the Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.

The Duke of York achieved sponsorship pledges of just over £400,000.

The Outward Bound Trust allocated £100,000 of the cash raised to support young pople in Southwark, enabling over 700 young people from the borough to attend courses over the next year.

The first school to benefit from the bursary is St Saviour's and St Olave's School in New Kent Road.

"We are delighted with the total funds raised from this event and thank everyone who helped make this such a successful event for both charities," said Nick Barrett, chief executive of the Outward Bound Trust.

"We are pleased to see the money raised forthe trust being put to good use so quickly after the event by way of supporting St Saviour's and St Olave's School. Their Outward Bound transition course will see all attendees developing key skills through outdoor experiential learning."

Headteacher Dr Irene Bishop said: "We've been working closely with the Outward Bound Trust for many years.

"The impact of the induction course for our year 7 students is considerable. It's wonderful to see our students developing their confidence, communication skills and team work in a challenging environment where they feel safe and encouraged."

This Outward Bound course is the culmination of the induction process that begins when the new year 7 students arrive at the school in early September.

Cllr Dora Dixon Fyle, Southwark's cabinet member for children's services, said: "Southwark Council is dedicated to providing every possible opportunity for our young people to experience new things and try out new activities.

"The Shard bursary allows over 700 young people to access outdoor experiential learning who might not otherwise get to experience something like this, so that they aspire to a lifetime of adventure and discovery. I would also like to congratulate again our Southwark based girls who took part in the Descent of the Shard abseil."