A STUDIOUS teenager is hoping to raise funds for his dream trip to the Orient.

Howard Trueman, 16, has been offered the “unique” opportunity to head to Beijing to experience and learn more about Chinese culture and language.

Howard, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, is one of the youngest students to have been attending Mandarin (Chinese) lessons after school since 2016 and has managed to rapidly make his way through the demanding language course.

The talented linguistics student - who speaks English, Mandarin, French and fluent Welsh - is a tremendous source of pride to his mother, Louise.

“He has worked so hard, cramming three years of work into one and has passed both his HSK 1 and HSK 2 exams at Bangor University,” she said.

“Howard thoroughly enjoys foreign languages and has done exceptionally well in his French and Welsh at school."

Louise, mother to five children, is doing everything she can to ensure that Howard is able to head out to China.

“Howard has been offered an opportunity to go to the China University of Political Science and Law (CPUL) in Beijing to study further and sit more exams, whilst having the opportunity to speak the language and tour Beijing and Suzhou,” she continued.

To help fund the trip, Louise is hoping to raise an extra £1,200 to help Howard achieve his lifelong goal as the costs can be prohibitive.

Louise said: “I’m a single parent, with five children and have had to take out a loan for his air ticket and have had to use most of my weekly tax credits to fund this.

“Howard has worked so hard in his studies of Mandarin, as well as sitting his GCSEs, I feel he deserves to go on this trip.

“This is a unique opportunity. Please support him. Thank you.”

For more information, or to donate, please visit www.gofundme.com/howards-trip-to-china-universitySee this week's north editions for the full story, in shops and online now