Campaigners behind an open-air school in Oxfordshire hope to open for business in September.

Pupils would be taught outside half of the time at The Treehouse School in Cholsey.

The primary school is the brainchild of former Wallingford primary headteacher Lee Ryman.

She said: “We need £50,000 in total to run the school and we are very close. We are trying to secure change of use permission for a property in Cholsey and if that goes ahead we are aiming to open in September.”

Some 30 fundraisers gathered at the Head of the River pub in Oxford to make their way back to the South Oxfordshire village by any means possible on Saturday morning. They were running, walking, hitchhiking and even unicycling in an attempt to raise money for the school.

Ms Ryman, who walked and hitchhiked, said: “It was a fantastic day and we are hoping to raise around £5,000 from it.”

The Treehouse School would be non-fee paying and would be able to accommodate 60 pupils aged between four and 11.