HUNDREDS of tree huggers at a Hampshire school took part in an afternoon of tree-climbing and other activities to celebrate the great outdoors.

More than 500 people came together for Treefest at John Keble School in Hursley, which saw pupils take to the tree canopy with zip-wiring, as well as take part in rocket-launching and bush-craft in the school grounds. There was also pond-dipping, pancake-racing and nature crafts at the event, now in its fourt year. It aimed to raise money for its outdoor classrooms operation, with funds raised going towards building unique outside classrooms.

Cheryl Rickman, of John Keble’s PTA, said: “The total is still to be counted, but we believe we’ve raised around £3,000, which is great considering the weather was not as good as last year. It will go towards our final outdoor classroom.

"We had big crowds which was lovely, all taking part in tree-climbing in harnesses, pond-dipping, pancake-racing. We even had 150 marshmallows toasted through the day.”