Swindon may suffer from a lack of snow, but that has not stopped one man's quest to become a snowboarding instructor.

Oliver Hibberd, 19, from Coate, is pursuing an intensive snowboarding instructors course in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. He left Swindon two months ago as a delegate of the International Academy, Cardiff.

So far he has already reached snowboarding instructor status. Oliver is one of 60 participants on the 12-week course, which, once completed, leads to an internationally renowned professional instructor qualification.

Oliver is currently taking a year out of education to follow his dream of a lifetime course. He said: "My boarding has improved tenfold with the academy's course. It makes such a difference spending such a length of time on the mountain with high level instruction, rather than one week's holiday."