Thank you! Bursary from the Sir James Knott Trust

I've just received an incredibly generous bursary from the Sir James Knott Trust!

The Trust is an independent, grant making, charitable trust based in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of England. Sir James Knott was a shipping magnate and politician in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Since 1990, the Trust has made nearly 8,000 grants totaling over £25 million, many of them to charities known to have been of keen interest to Sir James Knott, who was a keen philanthropist.

Accepting the bursary requires me to write an expedition report when I get home, which I'll also be publishing on this blog and sending to everyone who's donated money to fund my expedition.

I've been overwhelmed by the help I've been receiving with my fundraising - I'm so grateful!

Over the moon! Bursary award from the Lord Mayor's 800th Anniversary Trust

I'm so so excited to have been awarded a very generous bursary from the Chairman and Trustees of the Lord Mayor's 800th Anniversary Awards Trust!

I've been asked to write a report on the expedition once I've returned to the UK (I'll post that on this blog). I'll also be invited to attend a reception at the Mansion House in the City of London in the autumn. A panel of judges select the best two reports each year from the people who've been awarded grants, and the winners receive a prize at this reception. It'll be great to see what exciting and adventurous things everyone else has done with their bursaries. 

The object of the Trust is to enable young people to broaden their experiences, gain self confidence and develop their abilities for the future. Generally, the Trust supports UK-based people between 17-24 going on character developing projects, usually abroad. Recent successful applications have included biking in Mongolia, helping build a school in Kenya and teaching in China. The application process also requires some research into what the City of London actually is, and the role of the Lord Mayor (and how they're different from Boris Johnson!), so that was another unexpected benefit for me.

Basically, I'm over the moon with the help I've been receiving with my fundraising! Only 112 days to go until we fly :)

Fundraising update

Here's a quick update on how my fundraising is going:

• I've been given a generous donation from the Guildford Lions Club - thank you!

• I've now almost paid for the expedition - just got to book the flights

• I'm gradually sourcing kit (by begging, borrowing and buying) to take with me from the very extensive kit list I've been given by BES

So overall, things are going well - I want to go the Himalayas now!