WELCOMING Hampshire homes are wanted to help host the thousands of foreign students that come to the county every year.

Of the 250,000 adult students who visit the UK each year, fewer than one in 50 will have been inside a British home, new statistics reveal.

Now a charity is hoping to change that.

Host UK is looking for local people to welcome students into their homes - normally for no longer than two or three days.

Linda Forster, from the Gosport-based charity, explained that many students would love to come into people's homes, but simply never get the chance.

She said: "This is a disappointment to many students, who come here hoping to meet local people, learn about our way of life and introduce their own culture.

"They are far from their own families and cannot just pop home for the odd weekend.

"At Christmas, while we are celebrating, many students are stranded in largely deserted halls of residence."

Mrs Forster said that many lasting friendships are formed by people taking part in the scheme.

She is urgently looking for more host families. Anyone who wants to find out more should call 01329 231 544 or visit www.hostuk.org