My name is Caitlin Marks; I am 16 and I am a Ranger in Portchester.

I have been a member of Girlguiding in Portchester since the age of five and completed my Guides Gold Award last summer.

I have been selected to take part in an expedition to Morocco, next summer, with 15 other Guides and Rangers from South West England. I initially attended a Hampshire East selection day in March 2022 and after being put through to a region selection weekend at Foxlease Guide House and activity centre in the New Forest in June 2022, I was selected to participate in this trip.

During this adventure, we will be taking part in a community project, in the Atlas Mountains, supporting the building of an irrigation system to supply 150 families with running water, and living local families, as well as completing a trek and travelling to the Sahara Desert to camel trek and sleep in the desert. I'm very excited to experience a new culture as well as meet new people and see the Sahara Desert for the first time.