<p class="western"><strong>Hello!</strong></p> <p class="western"><strong><br /></strong></p> <p class="western"><strong>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. The reason I am raising money is to undertake a very exciting 5 week expedition to the Philippines in the summer of 2011. I will be travelling to the island of Leyte with the charity Coral Cay Conservation to do marine conservation work. I am going with other students from Durham University, as the project is organised by DUCK (Durham University Charities Kommittee). </strong></p> <p class="western"><strong><br /></strong></p> <p class="western"><strong>I will be SCUBA diving twice a day and carrying out surveys of the fragile reef ecosystem. The work that I will be doing is crucial because many of these reefs have already been destroyed by bad fishing practices, poorly managed tourism, pollution and rising sea temperatures. The data will be used to measure the biodiversity in the reef. Coral Cay can then use my findings to work in conjunction with local authorities to protect areas of reef by law. This will then provide a safe haven for the variety of marine species, and a sustainable food source and livelihood for the local people. </strong></p> <p class="western"><strong><br /></strong></p> <p class="western"><strong>Half the money that I raise will be used to cover the costs of the trip, like accomodation, flights and scuba equipment. The other half goes straight to Coral Cay to help them continue their vital work in the Philippines. As you can see this is a great project in a wonderful place, so please please donate as much as you can. </strong></p> <p class="western"><strong><br /></strong></p> <p class="western"><strong>Thank you so much!</strong></p> <p class="western"><strong><br /></strong></p> <p class="western"><strong>Laura xxx</strong></p> <p class="western"><strong><br /></strong></p> <p class="western"><strong>PS Click on the 'video' link on the left and you can find out more about what I'm going to be getting up to xxx </strong></p> <p class="western"><strong><br /></strong></p> <p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p> <p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>My Fundraising Events So Far...</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">9th Feb - Cake sale at Durham University Library</span> - Even though it was a pretty windy and drizzly day people couldn't resist the homemade fairy cakes and flap jacks! People were extremely generous which is lovely! Raised: &pound;35</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>