We're really excited to be introducing #GetOutDoStuff, an adventure travel grant created to honour the life of David Martin. Dave was a man who embraced life and lived it to the fullest. This grant's aim is to inspire and enable you to do the same!

#GetOutDoStuff was Dave's mantra. He had a simple idea, to spread the message that life is short and while we're here, we need to make the most of it and #GetOutDoStuff. Dave embodied this phrase. He served as an inspiration to thousands of people, us included at The Armchair Adventure Festival.

In 2017, Dave was handed the life-altering diagnosis of terminal bowel cancer, with no possibility of a cure. Despite life dealing Dave an unkind hand, he refused to give in. For the following five years Dave went through 100 chemotherapy sessions, determined to gain as much extra time as he could. He lived in a cycle of enduring two weeks of chemotherapy and feeling horrendous, followed by two weeks of adventure and living life to the fullest! For those 5 years, Dave had more adventures than most people do in a lifetime.

During those two week intervals, Dave found the time to ride his motorbike from Land's End to John O'Groats, explore the majestic Alps, wander Croatia, venture through the ice caves of Iceland, and traverse Route 66 all the way across the United States. To top it off, he even got married to his amazing partner Krina in Las Vegas!

Dave proved it's not about how much time you have, it's how you spend it. Now, we honour Dave’s legacy with the #GetOutDoStuff Adventure Travel Grant. We want to encourage people to follow in Dave's footsteps and embrace their sense of adventure.

This grant is for anyone who wants to pursue an adventure that will push them outside of their comfort zone and inspire them to make the most of every moment. Whether it's climbing a mountain, taking a road trip across the world, or trying something completely new, we want to fund incredible  adventures to honour Dave’s incredible spirit and carry his mantra forward by inspiring more people to #GETOUTDOSTUFF!

Full details of the grant will be released at The Armchair Adventure Festival 2023, with current guidelines available here . We will open applications in August and will be accepting applications until 31 December 2023. A panel of judges will then award grants in January 2024 and winners will be informed at that time. All winners will also win a ticket to the Armchair Adventure Festival 2024 (or 2025 if they're too busy adventuring!) and they will be welcome to share stories from their #GetOutDoStuff adventure. 

The amount of funding available will be determined by the amount raised at this year's Armchair Adventure Festival. Every £1 donated will be worth £3 thanks to matched funding we’ve already secured from our sponsors and a donation from the Change Your World Fund, which was set up by Roseann and Jonathan Hanson of Exploring Overland. 

To support the grant you can donate on this page! Your business could also support the grant by contributing to our matched funding campaign. Find out more here .

Thanks for your support and #GetOutDoStuff.