Culford pupil Tom Hudson, 15, is spending the spring term on the Alpine slopes with the British Ski Academy, training and competing for Great Britain.

The Academy provides a winter base to support and encourage junior British racers aiming to achieve the highest standards in Alpine ski racing.

Tom, who lives near Bury St Edmunds, has aspirations to one day compete at the Winter Olympics and is hoping to build on his successes of last year when he won the Slalom in the Anglo Scottish Cup and was then picked by British Ski and Snowboard to join the GB team for his age group.

He travelled out to Les Houches in the Chamonix valley at the end of December where he will train and compete for the skiing season. This means a jam-packed programme of training in the morning and school work in the afternoon.

But Tom is still ambitious for good grades, with his favourite subjects being maths and physics.

While at school, Tom also works on his fitness with Culford’s strength and conditioning team who have been helping him to build his core strength.

“I hope to compete in the biggest international competitions when I am an adult – my dream is to get to the Winter Olympics,” said Tom.