EXPLORER Jamie Matthews will fly to Australia for a five-week adventure in July as one of eight Scouts from across the UK taking part in an exchange programme Down Under.

The 15-year-old Kingsdown School pupil will swap his family home in Harlestone Road for Bunya in Queensland, where he will live with Sam Orchard and her family.

Jamie, who has already clocked up trips to Jamaica, Cape Verde and Florida in his short life, is just £600 from reaching the £2,000 total he requires to make the trip a reality.

“They will take me on camps and if I want to go on any trips out there, there will be that chance,” he said.

“I want to go to the Gold Coast because I have heard it’s absolutely beautiful. There will be surfing and snorkelling to do there.

“At the beginning I looked at raising £2,000 and thought that was going to be easy.

“I sat down with my Explorer Leader and we saw I should raise more than £2,000 with the events I had planned.”

With donations from his scout group, two live music events organised, cake sales and tea days at retirement homes have helped Jamie, who belongs to the Cynric Explorer Unit in Wroughton, on his way.