A COMMUNITY theatre group is swapping suburban London for the lush pastures of Sri Lanka as they help run a summer school for more than 300 underprivileged children.

Students from Act 2 Academy, in Highams Park, are heading to Wattala in Sri Lanka to volunteer with the charity The Dust Project.

Each of nine students needs to raise £1,200 and £5,000 as a group.

Act 2 Academy director Amanda Goodwin said the opportunity came after a conversation with someone from the United Nations before it “snowballed”

She added: “I’m just so incredibly proud of the students that have signed up to do this.”