Students from a Mill Hill school will be travelling to India after winning a national award.

Five students from Hasmonean Girls School in Page Street won this year’s Wings of Hope Achievement Award (WOHAA).

Run by national charity Wings of Hope, the achievement award is a national competition in which secondary schools across the UK compete to raise money to fund education for children in India and Malawi.

The students, Tsiona Hill, Anna Lawson, Sara Cowan, Chani Shear and Olivia Dowell, who called themselves Team Unity, competed against 31 other teams during a semi-final in the House of Lords.

During the semi-final they gave a presentation describing their fundraising activities, which included raising £3,163 on a sponsored trek up the highest hill in the Peak District and using publicity on social media both to raise funds and to keep their sponsors aware of their progress. 

They also had sponsorship from companies including Barclays, Sainsbury and Boots.

The head teacher of Hasmonean Girls School Rachel Fink said: “We are extremely proud of team Unity’s achievement. The WOHAA project is one that very much reflects the ethos of Hasmonean and guides young people to making positive contributions to their communities.”

The five girls were presented with the award during a ceremony on Thursday at the Royal College of Surgeons in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in Holborn.

The wife of the deputy leader of the House of Lords, Lady Juliet McNally, handed prizes to the winners, which included a trip to India and work experience with the awards’ sponsors including Barclay’s bank. 

Teacher Sivy Mannaru, who supervised Team Unity said: “WOHAA is a vehicle that helps enhance entrepreneurial and leadership skills and social awareness of students.

"Hasmonean students have made us proud yet again by achieving the top accolade and winning the challenge.”