Story
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">Hi, my name is Tom Walsh and I’m 15 years old. I’ve been a member of Leaside Educational Trust for about 5 years. With Leaside I’ve learnt to kayak and have been on lots of outdoor adventure trips in England. I’ve also made lots of friends and close relationships at the club.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">As well as running activities in Hackney and taking us on trips; since 1986 Leaside has established close links with a village called Barpak, in Nepal. <span> </span>Micky Gordon, <span> </span>who was Chief Executive of Leaside, and a respected outdoor educationalist, teacher, and expeditionary is mainly responsible for this. Micky has led many groups of young people to Nepal so they can experience the unique culture, broaden their horizons and carry out voluntary work in the village. Barpak is a remote village situated at 10,000 feet in the Annapurna range of mountains. It's 5 days walk from the nearest road at Gorkha! <span> </span>It's a large village by Nepalese standards but has no electricity; and no water supply except from local rivers. Over the years Leaside has helped towards <span style="color: black;">providing a school building and equipment, and has just completed the fundraising for a football pitch which will also be a helicopter pad.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">We’re going for 18 days in April 2012. Getting to the village will be an adventure, a five day walk with Sherpas to help us. When we arrive we will deliver the books and other things we’ve brought with us, and live and work in the village with people of our own age.<span> </span>We will also go on a further, high altitude trek into the Anurpurnas mountains.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">Coming back we will raft down the Dudh Kosi, one of the longest stretches of white water in the world. This will be one of the highlights of the trip for me.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">I would like to go on this trip because I know from people who’ve been before, that it can be a life changing experience. I’ve never been outside Europe <span> </span>and I’m keen to see how other people live. I’m looking forward to sharing this experience with many of my friends who are also going (and celebrating my 16 birthday whilst I’m away).</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">Leaside have asked us to each raise £2000 towards tickets, food and the other costs – such as paying the Sherpas for helping us on the trek part of the journey, and taking useful things to the village. I really hope that you will feel able to support me.</span></p>
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