PUPILS from Wickford are taking part in a sports summer camp 5,000 miles away – in China.

The 15 and 16-year-old pupils from The Bromfords School will be travelling to Jiangsu Province to take part in the seventh Essex-Jiangsu China Sports Summer Camp, which was founded in 2008, during the Beijing Olympic Games.

They will be joined by pupils from the Anglo European School in Ingatestone and Plume School in Maldon, bringing Essex’s representation to 10 pupils, for 10 days of sport and learning starting at the Youth Olympic Games opening ceremony in Nanjing.

Each student has been paired up with a Chinese partner from three schools in the area and will live with their partners’ families from August 14-24, attending three local schools where they will experience life, sport and culture in China.

Essex County Council’s education spokesman Councillor Ray Gooding said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for those children to experience and learn about a different culture. This adventure will give them invaluable life skills that can be used throughout their careers.”