NEW boarders at the area’s only state boarding school, the Wellington Academy, were treated to the sights of the Andover countryside at the Tree Running Activity Centre.

The Wellington Academy welcomes more than 60 students every year from Spain, Nigeria, Italy, Fiji and a host of other countries to its boarding house.

To introduce the students to the area and bond before the start of the new term they take part in team activities and visit Andover town centre as well as other facilities.

Matt Price, the new director of boarding at the school, said: "Our philosophy is very simple: we want a house where our young people are happy, safe, enjoying and achieving. This allows our boarders to develop and grow at their own pace in an environment where respect and consideration are held in high esteem.

"We have an experienced boarding team who have lived and worked in this environment together for the last three years whose goal it is to help the boarders develop and fulfil the potential that they arrive with."