I've been a leader with Brigantia Explorers for over five years now, and started volunteering with them as part of my Gold DofE. I've seen first hand how Scouting benefits our young people, and watched how they have developed skills, resilience, confidence, and faced up to all sorts of challenges while supporting each other and their community.

On a more personal note, Scouting has massively helped my own mental health particularly during the pandemic, and helped me see how each of us can make a positive impact in our community. Over the last year, I've been able to work with an incredible team of volunteer leaders to deliver bigger and better things for our Explorers, and we've even managed to open an additional Explorers evening to try and serve the massive demand we see in Ealing and Hanwell.

In August 2025, we are taking 50+ young people to the Kandersteg International Scout Centre in Switzerland, to help them build connections with scouters from around the world, participate in activities that they don't have access to in the UK, and help them build their confidence through experiencing a 10 day overseas camp which will undoubtedly throw a variety of challenges their way.

This obviously comes at a cost - £1000+ per young person! We are working with them to come up with a lot of different fundraising ideas from bake sales to car washes and much more - but here is my crazy idea...

I'm running the Ealing Half Marathon on 29 September 2024, but that is just the start! In October 2024 I will be taking on another challenge and trekking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal - a massive challenge for me and a brilliant opportunity to fundraise for my Explorers. And so I got thinking (dangerous, I know) - why stop there? So I have decided that for every £1 donated, I will run/hike/cycle 1km and match the total donation with distance covered! I will keep finding challenges and keep going to raise as much as I can ahead of the trip in August 2025!

So what are you waiting for? How far do you want to see me go?

**All money raised here will go directly to support the young people - I am paying my own way for the Kandersteg trip, as well as to EBC and any race entry fees etc. as part of the challenges I undertake.