I’m raising money on behalf of Project Trust's “VolunYEARS Challenge” and will be bricking my phone for 2 weeks between 4-17 June. Here’s why.

In 2008, I went to Guyana as a volunteer teacher with Project Trust, a charity that is near and dear to me and my family. My mum went abroad to South Africa with PT in 82/83; I went to Guyana in 08/09; my brother Ewan went to Jamaica in 10/11; and my brother Tim went to Botswana in 14/15.

My year in Guyana was challenging, invigorating and utterly unforgettable. My partner, Matt, and I taught in a remote school in Chenapou village, buried deep in the South American rainforest. We were completely disconnected from the outside world. There were no roads, so to get there we had to travel by plane and then boat - the nearest village was a sweaty 12 hour walk away through the forest. The only way we could communicate with our families was by letter, which took months to arrive. The fastest news reached us was when Michael Jackson died - we found out a mere 2 weeks later. At times the isolation was oppressive. But it was also the crucible that forged incredibly close friendships with the villagers. We became part of the community and completely embraced life as locals.

I will forever be grateful to Project for providing me with these experiences - and now it’s time for me to try and give something back by helping Project navigate the fall-out from Covid and the cost of living crisis.

I would hate for future generations to not have the same opportunities that I did, so please join me in helping to safeguard the future of this incredible charity for many years to come.

I have chosen to challenge myself to live with the same feeling of disconnectedness that I faced when I arrived in Chenapou by turning my mobile phone into a brick for 14 days. No social media, no media outlets, no texts, no phone calls. I'll be locking my phone away and won't be contactable by anyone for 2 weeks.

I managed to live with being disconnected when I was 18, but can I do it again now that instant communication has become so integral to our modern lives?