PUPILS at Haydonleigh Primary School were given a taste of distant shores this week as they ventured into the cultures of 19 different countries around the globe.

Trying their hand at everything from cooking, sewing, art and sports the pupils were given their very own tour of the world by staff in a bid to celebrate the school's diverse community, with each class teacher having a country to focus on.

The pupils' adventure took in Kenya, Italy, India, Australia, China, France, Sweden, Spain, Canada, USA, Japan, Greece, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Throughout the week they researched the countries, learning about their customs, famous landmarks, cooking and sampling their food.

On Friday afternoon parents were invited in to learn all about their cultural journey.

Assistant head teacher Vanessa Mace said there had been a real buzz of excitement in the school throughout the week. "It has been absolutely brilliant," she said. "We were absolutely packed with parents today coming in to see all of their hard work, so many parents turned up and even grandparents too.

"We wanted to celebrate that we live in a diverse community and to build on those links."

The cultural classes also gave the children the chance to work with other classes, with different year groups working together on projects, which Mrs Mace said had been really beneficial to the children, with siblings being put to work together where possible as well.

The pupils also welcomed players from Swindon Wildcats and American Football team Swindon Storm.

And their work even hit the headlines after an image of their paper mache NFL helmets was retweeted by Sky Sports.