‘Best thing I’ve ever done’

international

Juliette Denny’s experience is typical of the hundreds of school pupils, gappers and professionals who travelled with Camps International in 2011

Schools working together Page 3 Raising environmental awareness Page 6 Camp Cambodia one year old Page 10

Juliette Denny (second from left) travelled to Kenya with Camps International as part of Umoja, the Bristol Kenya Partnership

Although it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, choosing to go to Kenya on the first Bristol sports expedition (SDX) with Camps International was without

doubt the best thing I’ve ever done. From the moment we arrived we were looked after and put at complete ease. We were introduced to the team at Camp Imani, including Mama Mercy, the camp manager, Kittonyi, our chef, and Peter and Cat, our in-country liaisons. They were all lovely and welcoming and straight away encouraged us to go out and meet some of the community, who all greeted us with massive smiles and cries of “Jambo!”

We spent our mornings doing work to improve the sports facilities in the area, which are so important as sport is one of the only things that brings the community together, which was plain to see at the Fun Run and Sports Festival that we organised. In our three weeks there we completed a football pitch, two netball pitches, a volleyball pitch, a cricket pitch and a long jump track and pit, all complete with markings and nets where necessary. Lots of the community pitched in to help, including a young local builder Gilbert, who selflessly helped us throughout our entire stay.

In the afternoons we ran coaching sessions for the local community, with kids from the local primary and secondary schools working alongside other members

of the wider community. Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious, and they were so eager to learn and listen.

There was a moment, just a few days in, when we ended up playing football with some of the locals. The sun was just setting over the mountains in the distance, and, despite the fact that many of the kids were playing barefoot, on a slanting pitch with many divots and areas that changed from

sand to solid without warning, using flip-flops as goalposts, everyone was in their element. We were playing simply because we love the game and I will always look back on that as the most incredible and humbling experience of my life.

Despite their obvious lack of material possessions, the people seemed much happier than those in the West. Their sense of community and genuine appreciation of

the value of friendship was obvious, and changed my perspective on life as a whole. Although we were there to help and teach them, we ended up learning so much more from them, although they may not have realised it. They taught us not to take for granted the things we do have in life, and that it is people, not possessions, that can truly bring you happiness.

Further report, page 8

2 Camps InternatIonal schools

This summer I led an expedition of six students from Winston Churchill School to Kenya. It was an adventure that none of us would ever forget and

probably never experience again. When we arrived at Heathrow, we didn’t know what to expect. We bashfully introduced ourselves to the other members of our travelling group of whom we were going to spend the next four weeks with. There were students from Liskeard Community School, Cornwall, Sir John Colfox School, Dorset and Winsford Academy, Cheshire.

After a long journey we arrived at our first Camp which was situated south of Mombasa in the holiday resort of Diani where we spent eight days. Diani was paradise. Our Camp was situated approximately 100 metres from the beach. Our main objective was to complete our PADI Open Water Scuba diving course. Despite the fact we had the opportunity of swimming with fish in the Indian Ocean, the course was actually quite demanding but the students were fantastic in their persistence and all obtained their PADI certificate. We also took part in a little bit of community work while at Diani which included a beach clean up where our students, along with students from a local school, spent a number of hours cleaning a couple of local beaches.

We departed Diani and made our way to our second Camp which was Kaya. Although there was a slightly sombre mood leaving the paradise of Diani, the students were quite excited about the prospect of getting down to some work and fulfilling the experience they had come so far and waited so long for.

Kaya was very different to Diani. The camp was very secluded, located deep in the jungle. The experience at Kaya was a real taste of life in rural Africa, including having to travel 2km to fetch the water for all uses.

During our five day stay, we helped finish off the construction of a new community centre which included thatching the roof – this involved gathering leaves from coconut trees and knitting them together to form adequate roof cover. We also cleared some of the forest which involved getting down and dirty with some machete work.

Some students paid a visit to the local medical centre where they were truly astonished at how poor the facilities were. A very touching moment occurred when one of the Winston Churchill students paid for malaria treatment for a young boy no older than a few years.

After five days at Kaya we had a two hour hike to Camp three, Makongeni. We were glad to get to free flowing water and electricity here - Makongeni was quite a contrast to Kaya. It had a much bigger community and was also more developed (they even had an internet café). Again we took part in community work which involved brick laying and desk making for the local school. We also helped build a new house for a family of 10 whose house had recently been burnt down. This was a huge success and the students were extremely determined to finish the work before it was time to leave. It also gave them an insight to what life is like in a typical rural African household - a large mud house that is no bigger than your average sized living room in the UK. After the completion of the mud house, there was a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment among the students that would last for a long time after.

After Makongeni, we made the long journey north towards the wondrous Tsavo which was

to be our last camp. There is only one word to describe Tsavo - magnificent. When we took a left turn off the Mombasa highway within a few moments we were spotting animals we had only ever seen in the zoo.

Despite being situated in the middle of the African wildlife play ground, we had a large amount of work to do. This included digging a water trench for a new water area for animals near the Camp.

We also paid a visit to the local school where we helped build a new toilet area and helped making new building bricks. This gave us an insight into what life was like in this school - which had a population of approximately 720 pupils, 350 or so desks and a total of six teaching staff. Imagine the class dynamics in those classrooms just with the sheer number of students. However what was quite striking was how willing and attentive all the students were.

On one of our last days we did a safari trip through Tsavo East Wildlife Park where we saw everything from lions to elephants and giraffes to zebras. It was a truly outstanding way to finish of the whole expedition.

Trip of contrasts and insights for unforgettable school expedition

Laying solid foundations for the future

Brian Collins lead a group of students from Winston Churchill School to Africa this summer

school Trips This summer Camps International was responsible for over 850 school students going on expeditions to Africa and Asia. Camps International is one of only a handful of expedition companies to have been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge for Overseas Expeditions.Teachers’ report, page 3

Gap Years Camps International is the only gap company that owns and manages its own camps. Based in South America, Asia - including Cambodia and Borneo - and Africa, Camps International gives gap year students the opportunity to work on community projects and earn 70 UCAS points through ASDAN and the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness. Gap year case studies, page 5

sports ExpeditionsStudents from several universities and colleges - including the University of Bristol, UWE, Filton College and Bournemouth University - travelled to Africa this year to work with the local communities to improve sporting facilities and helped with training of coaches to leave a lasting legacy.Bristol students make a difference, page 8

Professional ProgrammesCamps International runs programmes for adults, including healthcare outreach programmes to Kenya and Cambodia, an Arkitrek expedition for designers and architects to Borneo, and family trips to their camps in Kenya where all members can work together and have a holiday with a difference. Family trip, page 9

camps International Camps International owns and manages several Camps in Kenya, Tanzania, Borneo, Cambodia and Ecuador. Each Camp is a hub for a wide range of sustainable volunteer projects and adventure activities. To find out more, please call: 0844 800 1127www.campsinternational.com www.facebook.com/campsinternational

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Students from Winston Churchill School travelled to Kenya this summer

In 2011 we strived to make even more of a positive impact than ever before on the communities, wildlife and environment in the areas we operate, which include

Kenya, Tanzania, Ecuador, Cambodia and Borneo. Facilitated by our highest ever volunteer numbers, we have laid some pretty amazing foundations for the future. You only have to glance at the stream of project blogs on www.campsinternational.com to see the creation of some exciting educational facilities for local children and adults.

These range from the new kindergarten and marine conservation building on Mantanani Island in Borneo with Arkitrek to the new kitchen and Trust House near Camp Muhaka in Kenya. These projects are only four of over one hundred projects that we currently run and are

only possible with the help of our volunteers from around the world. We’ve had a huge variety of volunteers this year ranging from schools groups from Vietnam to Skegness, families from Nairobi to Surrey and of course our ever constant international gap year students, all of whom ensure our long term sustainability.

With the addition of Rhys Jones and RJ7 Expeditions (www.rjseven.com), we look as ever to the future where no mountain is too high to climb and no river too wide to cross. Look out for news of his forthcoming expedition to Kilimanjaro with the forces charity Pilgrim Bandits which includes five forces amputees.

This newspaper can only offer a glimpse of all that we have achieved and all that we are planning to do in the future. If you want to find out more about our expeditions for school pupils, gap year students, families and professionals please do get in touch via our website, www.campsinternational.com or give us a call on 0844 800 1127

Stuart Rees JonesFounder and CEO, Camps International

Camps InternatIonal 3

schools

Teachers learn lessons too

Rebuilding schools, digging ditches for freshwater pipes to a rural village, cementing the floor for a community kitchen,

plastering toilet walls, shelling peanuts for a women’s project. Hardly sounds like typical summer holiday activities, but these are just some of the tasks that over 850 school students and their teachers from the UK volunteered to do this summer in Africa and Asia. The expeditions were all organised by Camps International, one of only a handful of companies to have been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge for Overseas Expeditions.

Nina Lister led an expedition of students and three teachers from The Burgate School and Sixth Form to Borneo this summer. She says that her 23 students learnt some important lessons over the four weeks: “They all worked together and so really learnt the importance of teamwork. They also learnt to respect the environment and the importance of conservation as well as the impact one person can have on a small area. I think overall they gained a great deal of confidence in themselves to overcome obstacles whether that be having to wear the same clothes for several days or finding a belief in themselves to complete a Scuba diving qualification.”

According to Laura Watt, her students from Southfield School for Girls not only gained an immense array of practical skills, but more importantly they developed a new perspective on life: “It was wonderful to watch them flourish as their confidence grew. By the end of the expedition they truly realised that there is nothing that can’t be achieved so long as you set your mind to it. Boundaries were redefined as they learnt just how far they could actually push themselves. They learnt to appreciate everything they have and not to take things for granted.”

She says that many of her students commented on how happy people in the rural communities seemed despite often having very little “So I think that they realised that it’s not what you have that makes you happy - the material things - but what you actually do. As a group they donated most of their personal items that they took with them, pretty much nothing came back to the UK! In the long run however, they have certainly matured as individuals and become well-rounded as a person. I am very proud of them.”

Julie Lax, a cover supervisor who went with 30 students and three teachers from Ringwood School to Kenya this summer was impressed that her pupils survived without the trappings of modern teenagers: “They learnt the importance of being able to converse with a variety of people and how to survive without high-tech gadgetry. Both skills are a dying art for today’s teenagers who attach so much importance on their phones/texting/social networking & music to the exclusion of many other interactive and social skills.”

Students can also gain the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) Level 3 for their expedition through ASDAN.

School students learn the importance of team work when they travel on a school expedition

This article first appeared in the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom newsletter www.lotc.org.uk

Three teachers report on how it wasn’t just their students who benefited from a school trip abroad this summer with Camps International ThE TEAchERs

This can give them 70 UCAS points, which is the equivalent of an A-grade at AS-level. The fact that these points can be used with UCAS applications certainly created controversy with headlines such as “How whale watching can help you get to university” in the Daily Mail and Professor Alison Wolf commenting in The Times that “It underlines the craziness of trying to put points on everything that moves.”

However, Nina says that her students did deserve the qualification and credit for the work that they did: “The amount of challenges that the students have to overcome to complete the expedition is huge. They firstly have to commit almost two years of their life to fundraising whilst juggling academic commitments at work or college which is no mean feat. This in itself is a massive undertaking. They then have to demonstrate skills and offer documentation to prove what they have done. Given that it is harder for students to get places in university why shouldn’t they be rewarded with UCAS points for something that they have shown commitment and dedication to?”

Half of the students from Southfield School for Girls are currently completing the CoPE

qualification through Camps International. Their teacher Laura says she fully believes in the merit of the qualification for her pupils: “They learnt far more about life in one month in Africa than they could ever have been taught in the classroom. As a teacher I sometimes feel that too much emphasis is placed on how well

students can remember and recall facts in an examination which is a poor indicator of their ability. If we credit this skill why can’t what they have done in Africa be recognised and given credit for?”

Going abroad with a bunch of pupils may not be to every teacher’s taste for a way to spend a summer holiday, but Laura claims

there are great benefits to be gained for student relations: “I feel that it has strengthened my relationship with them through creating a much deeper understanding. And vice versa, I think my students see me as a person rather than just someone standing at the front of a classroom!”

Beth Gardener, the Chief Executive of the Council of Learning Outside the Classroom, says that organising an expedition can be a big part of a teacher’s continuing professional development: “Teachers tell us that sharing experiences beyond the classroom walls can

dramatically improve their relationships with pupils and help them to build lasting bridges with those they find difficult to reach inside the classroom. Of course it also supports Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and helps promote the school, but most compellingly, LOtC can reinvigorate their enthusiasm for teaching and remind them what they are doing it for.”

Laura backs up this sentiment: “It has improved my confidence in my abilities as a teacher and also reminded me of exactly why I became a teacher in the first place!”

“The pupils learnt far more about life in one month in Africa than they could ever have been taught in the classroom”laura Watt, science teacher

4 Camps InternatIonal schools

As a parent, I have travelled the road from the first meeting with Camps International, through fundraising, numerous rounds of paperwork,

kit list preparation and eventually to departure. Bailey’s return home has precipitated thousands of photographs and anecdotes. I don’t think he stopped talking for the first three days after he arrived back from Borneo.

During the last six months of Bailey’s fund raising efforts, I was made redundant from my high profile job as an Internal Communications Manager. I have all the degrees and plenty of experience, but the job market defeated me for a very long time and I was unable to find a position. During that time I had time to revaluate my priorities and realised that I was tired of working in positions where I was just a number and

was only making a difference to the share holders of a faceless company.

I decided that I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to work somewhere that valued my skills, in a stimulating environment doing something that meant something and helped to improve lives. Whilst Bailey was away in Borneo, I enjoyed reassuring banter and reassurances from Camps staff through the Facebook coverage of the 2011 Camps International expeditions (www.facebook.com/campsinernational).

Whilst doing this, I started to think. I thought about what Camps International do,

not only for travelling students, but for the communities they support.

I did not know where the company was based, but when I researched them, I discovered they were a mere 10 minutes from my house. I dropped them a quick email expressing my admiration as a parent for the company and attached my CV for good measure.

On the Friday when Bailey returned, I was just about to leave the house to pick him up from school after his trip, when I got a call from Joss at Camps International asking me in for an interview. What an amazing coincidence. Bailey was so excited when I told him I might be working for the company.

So, here I am now, one of the newest members of the staff at Camps. I work as part of the team who go into schools and partner with teachers and parents to make these amazing

journeys possible. I speak to teachers every day and can honestly reassure them of the sensibility of their decision to work with us. I can provide valuable reassurance from the perspective of not only a committed member of staff, but also as a parent who is a real fan.

The culture at Camps is amazing. I have never met such a genuine group of people who really care about what they do, and each other. For the first time ever, I look forward to coming to work and hate to go home at night. I am proud to tell people where I work. Bailey too is proud of his Mum (although he may not admit it). I heard him the other day saying to one of his friends ‘Guess where my Mum is working now?’ I had to stop myself before I rushed in and started to tell them all about Camps!

Jayne Young

There is nothing better to cheer you up when you are staring out of the classroom window at melting snow,

than a mate mentioning that there is going to be a presentation about going to Borneo later. I didn’t even know where Borneo was, but it sounded better than staring at grey slush through the window.

I knew after the presentation that I just had to go to Borneo. I wasn’t sure that my parents were going to let me go, because of the money and all, but the team at Camps International talked about some great fundraising ideas. I was so chuffed to realise that it seemed really possible – even without my parents paying very much.

The Borneo trip appealed to me partially because of the diving. Once on holiday, I used diving equipment in a swimming pool, but there wasn’t much to see. Quite dull in comparison to the things I saw in the gorgeous blue waters of Borneo.

I was lucky enough to already have a job in a surf shop in Bournemouth and at weekends during the 18 months before my Borneo trip I worked to raise funds. The entire Borneo group at Queen Elizabeth’s school in Wimborne found ways to raise money. We did sponsored bag packing at local supermarkets and we did a sponsored walk which took us eight hours to finish. For almost two years, I abandoned Christmas and birthday presents and asked my family to send me money instead to help pay for my trip.

Looking back, the preparation, including the fundraising, was as big a part of the experience as the trip itself. I remember sitting in my

bedroom, looking at the trekking bag that my grandmother had helped me to buy, wondering how it would all fit, or if I would be able to lift it. I have learned so much since then. Rachel and the guys at Camps gave me all the support I needed to get it all together.

On 19 July we gathered in the car park at school, waiting for the coach. I remember feeling excited but nervous. I was mainly nervous that my Mum would make a fool out of me by crying – but she managed to keep it together. I guess she knew I was in good hands

We travelled to Batu Puteh where the expedition really started.

We lived in a jungle environment and our first job was to find two trees each and set up our own hammocks to sleep in. My Mum has trouble getting me to make my bed in the morning. She would be fine if she let me sleep in a hammock outside – it was so much fun. In the same way, getting up for school can sometimes be a problem, but being woken up by our guide to see the sun rise over the river was absolutely no problem

That day, we got down to real business. Mowing the lawn at home for my Dad can seem a meaningless chore, but the reforestation work we did alongside the local community

suddenly made sense. We worked in the local paddy fields, planting rice and planting young trees in the forest.

The next day, we went on a trip to Sandakan city where we learned about the Sandakan-Ranau death marches where the Japanese marched thousands of Australian prisoners of war across Borneo and only six survived. It was like bringing a history text book to life for me.

We left Batu Puteh behind and boarded a set of speed boats to travel to Mantanani island. When the island came into view, I realised what paradise looked like – small – white beaches and clear blue water. For the first time in my life, I slept

with the sound of water lapping on the sand because the beach was just 50 yards from our tent.

We met our dive instructors that day and had fun familiarising ourselves with the equipment we would be using. This was always going to be a highlight for me. Memories of my time using dive equipment in a swimming pool were replaced with visions of the entire cast of Finding Nemo and a rare sighting of a crocodile fish.

On Mantanani, we also worked on marine conservation projects where we helped to clear the beaches of rubbish and learned how litter in a marine environment affects world around us. We saw how seemingly innocent items such as flip-flops and bottles or cans can destroy marine wildlife and kill coral reefs.

The final part of our expedition took us to Bongkud where we continued to support the local community by helping to dig the foundation for a single mother’s centre. There were plenty of mud fights along the way. I still wished we could have stayed in Bongkud longer because there was so much more to be done. Thankfully, Camps International is there 365 days a year to continue the work we participated in.

Before I knew it I was facing the long journey home. I knew that I would have a great time in Borneo, but I never knew what an impact the things I saw and felt would have on me. I now view the world differently. Everything I see and hear in England is now compared with the thoughts and views of the people I met in Borneo.

Mum did cry when I got home – what is that all about? From that snowy day, through my fund raising to the amazing journey I have been on, I continually thank the powers that be for giving me the chance to do what I have done.

Bailey Freeland-Jones

Amazing journey to Borneo

‘I am proud to tell people where I work’

Bailey Freeland-Jones travelled with Camps this summer and his mother Jayne Young now works for us

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Hammer time: Bailey gets down to work on his expedition to Borneo

Camps InternatIonal 5

gAP yEARs

Despite reports to the contrary, the Gap Year is very much alive and kicking as these insights prove

Lucy Hardingham returned in the summer of 2011 from her mini-gap year in Kenya where she worked on health and building projects and went on safari. She

spoke to Joanna Sugden from The Times in August about her trip and its value for money:

“It was definitely worth it and you see where all the money goes,” said Ms Hardingham, 20, from Solihull, who has now started a nursing degree at Birmingham City University.

“I spent the mornings in the local hospital weighing babies and giving them inoculations against polio. It was very basic. Being there made me realise how lucky we are and less naive about other countries.

“We helped at a ‘jigger’ clinic to remove maggot-like creatures from children’s feet. Just knowing that you have actually helped is amazing.”

In the afternoons Ms Hardingham, who did not need to boost her UCAS points with the trip, helped the team building a toilet for a

village near Mombasa. “I only got back at the end of July and it was weird being in a room without holes in the walls and mosquitos flying around.

“We stayed in little mud huts but it was very safe because we had 24-hour security,” she said. During the trip the team went on safari, but Ms Hardingham said: “It’s definitely more work than pleasure.”

She is hoping to raise money to send to the villagers, “now I know where the money is going and that it will get there”.

Lily Vo, 19, travelled with Camps International to Camp Kenya in March 2011. She completed her ASDAN Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE) at Level 3, gaining an extra 70 UCAS points which took her total points to 320. Her University of the West of England offer was for 300 points and she started her course there in September 2011. She raised the funds herself to go volunteering with Camps International. “My volunteering experience with Camps International was very useful for me in producing a portfolio and independent work to pass my CoPE Level 3. This certificate has enhanced my future career path a lot as it helped me gain the points needed to get into UWE which I am so proud of. It also shows my future employers that I am very independent and hard-working. It will enhance my chances of being hired as nowadays employers aren’t just looking for a possible employee with a degree; you need to have much more than that. Having these skills at Level 3 will indicate to my future work place that I am very capable of working effectively with other people as well as independently and can develop my experience.

“I heard about the ASDAN qualification whilst studying at The Coventry Blue Coat Church of England Secondary School and Sixth Form and researched more about it at the start of my Gap Year. The CoPE certificate is based on six wider skills.

“I made some friends for life with the others on the one month programme; it was all these people that made my trip so enjoyable. Without getting to know the local people and without having friends within my group I wouldn’t have worked as hard on my trip. It was these people that I met that drove me to work hard, dig hard, build hard and to see the completed results at the end of the month.”

Camilla Kidd, 19, went to Camp Muhaka in Kenya on a volunteer programme with Camps International from October to November 2010 at the start of her gap year. After a trip to Southeast Asia, she started university in 2011. “The thing I most enjoyed on the expedition was seeing the projects come together. We were lucky enough to help put the finishing touches to the library at Muhaka primary school and it was a sense of achievement to see it after the two months were up and how different it looked since we had arrived.

“As well as working with the construction of the school, I also travelled around with Camps International and worked on other projects, including teaching, conservation in the jungle and working in an orphanage.

“To raise the money for the trip I had a

weekend job, and held coffee mornings and a curry night, which raised a total of £900. I also got in touch with the English-Speaking Union, and after a meeting with them to explain what I would be doing they said they were willing to donate me £500 in exchange for a written report when I returned.

“My experience in Africa is definitely a good conversation starter and all my friends from home have noticed how I have grown as a person. When I applied to university they all seemed really impressed by it, also when applying for jobs it helped me as the programme was an excellent example of proving my independence, my good communication skills, my commitment and it was also a great confidence builder.”To receive a copy of Camps International’s Guide to Fundraising, call 0844 800 1127

Lucy Hardingham at work in a health clinic in Kenya and, inset, on page three of The Times on 4 August 2011

Trip was a great confidence builder

Volunteeringboosted university application

Travel to make a difference

6 Camps InternatIonal CONSERVATION

Flip-flop art is spreading fast along the 500-kilometre Western Indian Ocean coast of Kenya thanks to the massive publicity created by local artists, conservationists and

volunteers working together. At Camp Kenya about 289 students from schools from abroad and about 143 students from local schools have been involved with this eco-art. Their efforts have helped to clear Diani beach of non-bio-degradable waste and also saved turtles and other marine life.

The Kenyan Indian Ocean waters are home to five of the world’s eight species of turtles which include the Green turtle, Hawksbill turtle, Olive Ridley turtle, Leatherback turtle and the Loggerhead turtle, not to mention seven of the world’s nine dolphin species including Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins, Spinners & Spinner’s dolphins, Humpback dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, Spotted dolphins and the Rough toothed dolphins.

All of these marine species are classified as either endangered or critically endangered and are threatened by development, poaching of turtle meat and eggs, by-catch by local fishermen and semi-industrial fisheries and marine pollution, which are reasons enough to want to clear the beach from all the plastic and non-biodegradable waste, some of which takes up to 600 years to degrade into the natural environment. This is also the vision and mission of most conservation organizations along the coast, including Camp Kenya, Watamu Turtle Watch and the WWF.

Over the summer the crew at Camp Kenya has been getting students from schools abroad and local schools to take part in beach surveys to collect data on the marine life of the eco-system and also to work on conservation activities which include beach clean-ups to collect the waste plastics and other non-bio-degradables lying on Diani beach.

The flip-flops collected have then been dexterously joined to each other to make large sheets that have been used to make up the turtle and also a whale-shark structure that’s still being made. We hope that the information has been passed far and wide along the seaboard to make people aware of the dangers of pollution and that it may also help to create an alternative means of living in areas with high levels of unemployment.

Flip-flop art raises pollution awarenessKennedy Ole Kariuki reports on how artists, conservationists and volunteers worked together to highlight the problems of marine waste

Camps InternatIonal 7

CONSERVATION

8 Camps InternatIonal SPORTS EXPEDITION

Although adamant for many years that Law was what I wanted to do, by the middle of my second year I’d hit the student mid-life crisis whereby I had absolutely

no idea where I really wanted to go career wise. Juggling the concept of a career in sport, teaching or in the legal sector, the sports expedition (SDX) came at what was the perfect time for me. I wanted to get a lot out of the experience. I wanted to discover what kind of character I really was and what better way then to take yourself out of your comfort zone... even if it does mean flying 10 plus hours around the world! I wanted to see how I’d cope/operate in a group dynamic over such a long period of time and I was also hoping that the expedition would give me some indication as to whether a general career in teaching or even more specifically coaching sport would be something I’d enjoy.

Within our SDX team, made up of students from the University of Bristol, UWE and Filton College, we had a range of highly skilled players in particular sports and/or coaches/referees which meant we had a solid foundation regarding all the ins and outs of the sports we were hoping to teach. As the only girl within the team to have consistently played netball since a young age and to still be playing it at a high level to this date I indirectly took on the role of head coach. This meant that although the other team members who coached netball also planned drills/games etc they would often question me for clarification on rules and rack my brains for new drills/developments.

When we first met the primary school children their ability to play netball was really good! It was obvious that they had the basics of throwing/catching so our first port of call was to give them some structure with positions and the names of passes etc. Aside from theory I also did practical coaching in which I took small groups of individuals and put them through a series of drills to benefit their chosen positions/team work. It soon became apparent that all the girls wanted to do was play games, I had to explain to them the benefit and reasoning behind doing drills but they soon understood and as long as I kept the drills fun they didn’t seem to mind.

One experience I am particularly proud of is that I was asked by our group leader whether I would be interested in coaching teachers regarding netball so that when we left they would have resources/drills to maintain our hard work. As my focus throughout the trip revolved around long-term assistance I knew that this would be the best possible way to have an influence on the way netball is taught... and hopefully bring UK coaching standards to Kenya permanently.

The games master from the local secondary school showed such appreciation and enthusiasm for anything we were bringing to the table to benefit the students at his school. He arrived at a coaching session I was holding with the senior students which I presumed he would merely observe – without me even saying a word however he was running around with the girls during the warm up and intercepting balls during the drills. It was amazing to see and it felt great to see someone putting everything they have into something you are voluntarily assisting with. Although our work revolved predominantly around

the schools the facilities that we spent our mornings building/developing are used at large by the community. As such the community volleyball team now have an official court to play upon with posts and markings, and the community netball team have two official courts to use both with markings and concreted metal goal posts. In addition to this we also built long jump/triple jump facilities, a cricket pitch and completely re-designed and levelled the football pitch, now with official markings and concreted metal goalposts.

We also put on a fun run which saw adults

and children alike participate in what was approximately a 4km run, (Kenyans really are unbelievably fast runners!) and a Sports Festival on what was our last few days in Imani. The sports festival was a huge success, Over 400 people either took part or spectated including school and community teams such as Black Lions who went on to win the football tournament. At the end of the day we held an awards ceremony and gave out prizes to the winning teams to encourage future participation.

When we first arrived at Camp Imani our Camp Kenya leader had drawn us up

a list of things that we could undertake for project work, this was as she said a BIG list and not one that she expected us to complete. Our team and the community around us were so dedicated and committed to the project that after only one week of being there we’d nearly checked everything off. Adults and children alike from the local area assisted us with digging/collecting rocks etc without us even having to ask, they were so enthusiastic about the work we were doing over there that they wanted to help in whatever way they could.

The children and adults out there have nothing in comparison to what we have in the UK and yet they have more compassion, spirit, drive and determination than I’ve ever seen from people in the UK. It’s made me realise that nobody needs Facebook, designer clothes or the latest touch screen technology. What makes life worthwhile for the people out there was having others to share time/experiences with, strangers treated you like life long friends and several generations of one family enjoying living under the same roof. The difference between our individualist society and their collective society was outstanding. Africa has knocked more than just a little bit of sense into me. I now appreciate and understand just how fortunate I really am to have materialistic items but also more importantly the opportunities that living and studying in the UK offers which I should be grabbing with both hands, as I know the Kenyan students would if they had the chance.

We achieved a lot over there in such a short space of time and I feel incredibly proud to have been part of the first Bristol SDX group. Following the expedition I’m now considering a future career in Sport.

Giving communities a sporting chanceVanessa Pople reports on what the Bristol sports expedition achieved in Kenya and how it affected her

As well as working on community projects, coaching local school children was a big part of the Bristol sports expedition

Strike a pose: students from the University of Bristol, UWE and Filton College

Camps InternatIonal 9

LIFE BY CAMPS INTERNATIONAL

Learning to work together

In 2009, my family (Cindy, Ben, 9 and Zac, 6) and I lived in Surrey, England. It’s a prosperous and pleasant place to live, and our boys could easily grow up very comfortably, without any real

appreciation of what they have and how lucky they are to have been born into such a position. Cindy and I resolved to find a way to remove the blinkers from their eyes, and after much trawling across dozens of websites, discovered Camps International. It was the only volunteering organisation we found which would allow us to combine a holiday with close contact with another community, and which would cater for young children. Kenya was the obvious place to choose – few mosquitoes, great safaris, no jet lag…

Despite the fact that Camp Tsavo is inside a game sanctuary with hundreds of elephants as well as the typical range of other beasts and birds, we always felt safe – there’s an electric fence around the camp and guards patrolling all day and night, just in case. There’s also the camp mongoose on patrol, and a wild genet (like a shy cat) living up in the rafters inside the main lodge.

On the first afternoon we did a short game drive inside Rukinga Wildlife Sanctuary (the reserve in which the camp is situated), which the kids found fantastically exciting, particularly Zac, our James Herriot wannabe. However, in the morning of the second day, we arrived at Sasenyi Primary School and were given a tour by Mr Fred, the deputy head. I suppose it’s a tour he does frequently, but it gave us a terrific insight into just how difficult life is for the families and children in the village, and also a flavour of how committed you have to be in order to be a teacher in such a place.

Where to start…? The village is really dirt poor. Huts are made of wood, mud and cowpat; there is no electricity, sanitation, healthcare, water… all things we take for granted. The soil is very poor, and the climate is semi-arid; at the time we were there, Kenya was deep into a long drought, so there was typically no food or water available at home. Water comes either from a borehole (not working since the pump breaks down regularly) or from a mains pipe 20km away.

From the kids’ perspective, often the only meal of the day would be lunch, cooked and delivered at the school. It’s an excellent incentive to show up for class each day. Their day starts with a walk to school (up to 7km) through the ranch scrubland, avoiding elephants and any other predators on the way. Nevertheless, they turn up in clean school uniform, and the discipline in the classroom is something a British teacher would crave – all children were quiet and attentive.

Andrew Crossley took his family from Surrey to Africa to teach them about the wider world and to help them appreciate what they have in the UK

It’s a happy place, with the sorts of playtime noise you would expect from 650 children playing football, practising music, running and shouting.

One really couldn’t avoid thinking that we had a responsibility to help. Conveniently then, shovels and pickaxes were put in our hands and we were asked to dig channels to divert the rainwater away from the buildings. The school buildings were, in places, literally falling down due to erosion from the heavy rains which come around each year and thus, Camp Kenya wanted to make this a priority. We started digging, all of us, even Zac.

As it happened, Simon, the other dad in our party, couldn’t dig because he had a broken collarbone and spent the time asking questions of Mr Fred. Simon discovered that the school’s priority was to create more classrooms. In fact, there were two classrooms which were half built already (foundations and walls), by another charity, but had been left unfinished for four years when they ran out of money.

After a short investigation, we found that a contribution from each of the camp families would cover the cost of the materials as well as the labour to finish the job, and that the local fundi (builder) could show up the next morning with four labourers. I think to the amazement of the teachers, Simon and I got into the truck to go into Voi, the nearest large town, visited a couple of hardware stores to get the best prices, and paid for our supplies in cash (lots and lots of small denomination notes!).

We came back to the school the next day to find that our truckload of materials had indeed arrived and was already being prepared for use. Try asking a British builder to start working on an extension for your house tomorrow morning, and see what he says…

Building the classrooms was a real community effort. We and the gap year students pitched in with the builders, clearing the years of rubble, dust and weeds from the existing shell of a building. The children of the school spent hours filling wheelbarrows with sand and dragging them up the hill to where the sand was needed; others painted the wooden rafters with a kind of protective creosote.

We mixed the concrete, painted the newly plastered walls and cleared what we could. The fundis carried on from early in the morning until dusk; progress was remarkably rapid. By the time we left, a week or so later, the classrooms were all but finished; the roof was 80 per cent complete, window and door frames in place, walls were plastered and painted.

While the fundis stayed through each working day, we were strictly part-timers. We mixed up our classroom building with safari drives and visits to another Camp Kenya-supported project in which a women’s cooperative (Imani Women’s Group) was creating sustainable businesses, growing crops (exotic mushrooms and aloe vera) and building and running a community centre.

We left Sasenyi on a real high – the local folks were clearly most grateful for the contribution we had made, and we received the full VIP send-off, with music and dancing and speeches from the headmaster.

Our families also got a huge amount out of the time we spent there: our boys played football with the Kenyan kids, played hide and seek, built dens out of sticks and branches, took pictures of each other and ran round the village together. It was more, much more than we could have hoped for at the outset.

Camps International is not just for school pupils and gap year students. We also run specialist breaks for professionals and families. These are grouped together as Life by Camps International.

Healthcare Outreach This programme will help improve the standard of healthcare for communities in Kenya and Cambodia and give medical professionals from the UK the chance to experience caring for people in a new and challenging environment.

Arkitrek One month programme to research, design and construct a community-based building on the beautiful Mantanani Island, which lies to the north west of Sabah, Borneo.

Family VolunteeringOur Family Life trip is especially designed for families that want to share unique and rewarding experiences that would not be possible on a conventional holiday. This trip is a great way to experience new cultures and see a part of the world that children may never learn about at school.

Life Expedition 2012In September 2012, to celebrate 10 years of Camps International, a unique team of people from all walks of life will travel to the Taru desert in Kenya and spend two weeks working and living together alongside the local community to transform the infrastructure of their village. For further details, call 0844 800 1127 www.campsinternational.com/life

Life by Camps International

Over the course of two months we hosted about 650 students from the UK in Kenya

and Tanzania who spent a month in country working hard and playing hard. Reflecting on the summer, I picture scenes of 30-40 pairs of hands digging away under the baking sun as they eagerly tried to complete their target on a trench in yet another neglected primary school on the periphery of Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary. I remembered another group who sang through the entire six days of laying blocks for a classroom in a little primary school tucked away on the South Coast and I smiled thinking about the team who refused to stop working until they finished breaking the old concrete of a massive water tank for cattle

that was to be restored for elephants on Rukinga Ranch.

This was my second full-blown season with Camps International. With the primary volunteers being under 18-year-old secondary school students from the UK, one is immediately inclined to wonder how you would convince a teenager who has just completed school to spend their first month of freedom taking bucket baths and digging holes in the African outback.

And equally important, is the enigma that 95 per cent of these students actually fundraise and work odd jobs for over a year to save up and come out for these trips. This is not mummy and daddy paying to get rid of little Johnny for

the summer. This is someone who believes that this is the right thing to do: a young mind who chooses to spend a month working on various projects that they may or may not see to completion on a continent that they have never set foot on.

Expeditions such as the ones Camps International offer are part of a growing trend across the globe. Like any other trend, the gap industry has not been spared from the critical gaze of the media, which keeps a tab on just how these expeditions are

packaged. It’s a necessary evil that keep its eye on the profit moguls for like anything else that operates in regions like Kenya, it is so easy to turn pictures of swollen bellies and fly infested children or elephants grazing peacefully on the savanna landscape into profit. As a Kenyan, I loathe what Africa has become in the western eyes (more so because we allowed it to happen) and thus approached entry into the responsible travel industry very cautiously.

Having worked in the not-for-profit sector for the past 15 years, words like “sustainable”, “eco”, “responsible”, “community” had long since become a cryptic crossword divorced from the reality that they are used to describe.

Most people who are not in an NGO are very skeptical about this do-good industry but that is another discussion. Suffice to say, that from where I am sitting now in a company that employs over 60 people in Africa (and over 150 worldwide) and spends millions of shillings building schools, creating income generating activities for various local youth groups and women’s groups, repairs water tanks for elephants, builds new homes for widows and the elderly, plants thousands of trees and still manages to make some profit – I would like to think that those countless workshops and conferences that led to trends like “responsible travel” and “sustainable tourism” have actually played their part in creating what I hope one day will be the norm and not the exception.

10 Camps InternatIonal camps NEWs

Leading the way for sustainable tourism to become the norm

Cambodia is famed for its impressive collection of ancient temples, the most famous of which is Angkor Wat

Camp Cambodia celebrates one year

Dipesh Pabari reflects on this summer’s visitors to Africa

Camp Cambodia is one year old this November, the date that our very first volunteers arrived in Siem Reap to be our pioneer boots on the ground. And

that same school is returning at the end of November with a new group... it’s a nice way to celebrate what has been an amazing year.

But the story of Camp Beng Mealea, an hour and a half outside of Siem Reap, goes back a little way further. I first came to Cambodia in September of 2009 with my colleague Amy for some initial research into the needs of local communities and the best way to begin our operations.

Then, as it was in September 2011, Siem Reap was underwater. We soon found out this was the key to the needs of the locals. In the dry season there can be too little, rivers run dry and crops are ruined. In the wet season there can be too much, the rivers burst their banks and crops are ruined. It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.

But the locals here are so resilient and

used to it they barely bat an eyelid. There is one man in the old market who beckons people into his flooded shop wearing a snorkel and mask whenever the river breaks. “If I’m willing to continue selling, Mr Tourist, why not wade over here to continue buying?” I’m thinking of getting him some flippers for the next wet season to complete the look.

Getting on the ground and finding out how a country works before the Camp is built is massively important and helps shape the future Camp and projects. Standing knee deep in water discussing what is an extremely alien concept knowing that the old village chief standing next to you more than likely thinks you are mad, makes you understand that starting from scratch isn’t easy. Whether it’s the relatively tedious things like discovering the intricacies of new

business law in developing nations and arguing about tax; or the more fun things like discussing cultural differences with local communities while sat around a camp fire, the bit before the volunteers arrive is just as vital as the bits after.

There are certain sacrifices that have to be made during this period... mainly on behalf of your stomach. Visiting various communities has led me to sampling frog, snake, bee larvae, spider, grasshopper, chicken feet and – accidentally – dog. There was also the occasion

I was sat around a longhouse with 15 members of the local community discussing projects when I took a huge swig of what I thought was water from a plastic bottle only to discover it was super strength locally made rice wine, which I was now unable to spit out for fear of offending my hosts.

Certain other hits to the pride also have to be taken whilst winning the trust of communities. Karaoke in front of the entire village including government ministers springs to mind, as does generally being a foot taller than everyone you meet and struggling to fit into houses, onto chairs and in the back of ox-carts none of which were made for people who are six feet three inches tall.

Toilets and poo in general are never far away from conversation; whether it’s composting toilets, biogas digesters, sitting toilets, squatting toilets, long drops, short drops and usage charts to measure intake. All these things have to be considered before volunteers even sets foot in the camp.

But it’s all worth it... once the volunteers arrive, projects start and smiles appear, you forget about everything else. OK, perhaps not the dog.

So Happy Birthday Camp Cambodia; a two year journey to a one year birthday.

KENya

cambodia

Anth Hartley (right) reports on the preparation and continuing work needed to set up a new location

Camps InternatIonal 11

camps NEWs

RJ7 leading Pilgrim Bandits to Kilimanjaro

A stall in Otavalo market in Ecuador. Camps International is opening in the South American country in 2012 Philip Niewold

Brave new world in Ecuador

Setting up a new life in a new country is an interesting experience, and, frankly, not one for the faint hearted. And, having been through this I think that perhaps I am well placed

to understand some of the things that our Gappers are going through when they embark on an adventure.

Think of a broken ice flow. Think of an earthquake. Think of those images of a young duck trying to gain some purchase on a frozen lake. That is what it is like being somewhere new. Nothing, nothing is where you expect it to be. Nothing works in the way that you are used to it working. Nothing will stay still so you can grasp it: nothing can be taken for granted. After a while it gets tiring trying to cope with it all, but it is the sort of tiredness that gives you a warm glow, the sense of satisfaction that comes from really living.

There is a literary genre called Magical Realism, which originated in Latin America. In Magical Realism the “magical” sits along side the “real” quite comfortably, with perhaps an equality of status. There is a very good reason that this literary form comes from this continent, because that is what life is like here. Driving through the Amazon a while back, following a big inter-city bus, I realized that there was a dog on the roof of the bus. I don’t know when or how he got on there, and I don’t know when or how he got off. I overtook after a while (yes, he was up there, happily wandering around the roof, travelling along at 50 miles an hour, for what could easily be described as a “while”) because I have been here a matter of months now and Latin American reality is already taking hold. There’s a tree, there’s a car, there’s a dog on top of a bus; whatever.

I have decided that the answer to the question “Why?” here is never particularly interesting. Normally, people simply shrug and carry on, as if the answer is unimportant. When you drive into a car park you are issued with a little piece of paper, on which has been written the time of your arrival and the details of your number plate. When you leave, you hand this back in. No money changes hands. What are the pieces of paper for? Where do they all go – tens, hundreds, of thousands must be produced each day? What is the point? I have asked – no one knows. And when I ask I realize that I am chasing the wrong reality and should just get on with it.

The most immediate disassociation from reality comes from the national quirk of temperament that pertains for every single Ecuadorian when he or she gets into a car. Meet an Ecuadorian in a building, on the pavement, in a shop, up a mountain, in the jungle, anywhere, and the chances are he will

be friendly, open, charming and helpful. Try and change lanes while driving and you’d think the devil himself was in the car next to you. In a country where people will placidly wait 30 minutes to use a cashpoint machine, if you don’t respond to a traffic light the very instant that it changes to green you are beeped, by everyone within a mile. Road manners, or their absolute absence, is a constant topic of conversation in this country, because that elegant woman in her fifties over there in her SUV would run over one of your children rather than give you an inch of her road space. And if you don’t join in the fight, don’t engage with this schizophrenic reality, you may as well just go and live in Luxemburg.

However, a non-slippery, tangible reality does also exist. The taste of Ecuadorian chocolate and coffee is absolutely real. The sound of the Amazon jungle is intense, the heat of the sun against your skin when you are at altitude is sharp and penetrating and the sheer variety of greens in the cloud forest is overwhelming. And, there is nothing more tangible and real than concrete foundations and breeze block walls, and seeing those being created in the cloud forest, ready for our first Gappers in January, is damn exciting. The building is largely bamboo, so these rather blunt things will blend in, will become part of this wonderful landscape. This place will be their home while they are on their own adventure. I hope that it gives them a sense of certainty, a sense of knowing where things are and which way is up, but I also hope that it doesn’t give them too much of that sense. To understand Latin America, you need to understand that sometimes the anticipated up is in fact down, and enjoy that.

Camps International’s sister company RJ7 is leading an expedition of injured servicemen to conquer

Kilimanjaro for forces charity Pilgrim Bandits. Accompanying the expedition, which will include five forces amputees, will be Pilgrim Bandit’s patron and Dragon’s Den star, Duncan Bannatyne.

The expedition will be led by Rhys Jones, Managing Director of RJ7. Rhys became a World Record holder in 2006 on his 20th birthday by becoming the youngest person to climb the highest mountain on each continent, known as the Seven Summits Challenge. Rhys said: “I’m extremely excited to be leading and overseeing this unique team on Kilimanjaro, for what will be my seventh ascent of the mountain. I’m sure we can provide an unforgettable experience for all of the participants for the Pilgrim Bandits expedition which I am proud to be leading - I’ve no doubt this will be a challenging undertaking, not least of all for the amputees, but for us all. I’m confident though, that with our excellent infrastructure and local guides, it will be a safe and ultimately successful trek.”

Amputee soldier Chris Parkes, who is going on the climb, said: “I want to challenge myself as best I can and am doing this expedition to prove to people that I am not an invalid, but a strong individual who can get over obstacles.”

Expedition dates: 16-26 February 2012Pilgrim Bandits: www.pilgrimbandits.com RJ7: www.rjseven.com To donate money to Pilgrim Bandits: www.bmycharity.com/killyteam

Ecuador

THE HERALD MonDAy 10.10.2011 PAGE 11 nEWS

ScotlandOfficeattacksSNP intugs rowThe Scotland Office hasaccused the SNP of irre-sponsible scaremongeringover its criticism of a deci-sion to withdraw fundingfor two emergency tugs.

The contract for the tugsin the Western Isles andShetland expired earlierthismonth.TheUKGovern-ment has promised limitedfunding to extend their usefor an interim period of upto threemonths.

Dr Richard Dixon, direc-tor of World Wildlife FundScotland, said Government“penny-pinching” is riskinglives and the environment.

SNPtransportspokesmanAngus MacNeil MP echoedDrDixon’scomments:“Leav-ing Scottish waters withoutany emergency cover hasneedlessly added to thedangers faced by those whouseScotland’s seas.

“It’s also putting Scot-land’s environment at risk.The Tory and LibDemGovernmentissimplytryingto save money, when itshould be about saving livesandprotecting the seas.”

AScotlandOffice spokes-man said the office is work-ing closely with theMaritime and CoastguardAgency on the issues ofcover and safety in general.

he said Mr MacNeil hadrepeatedly claimed there isno cover for emergencytowing vehicles (eTVs)despite the Governmentmaking clear it could “spotpurchase”avesselinthecaseof an incident while sortingoutan interimcontract.

In direct response to MrMacNeil, he added: “Thereis no need for irresponsiblescaremongering as a result.

“[Mr MacNeil] continuestomisunderstand thediffer-ence between search andrescue vessels and an eTVservice and the nature ofthe contract process.”

McGregorrules outPorno filmACTOR ewan McGregorhas ruledout thepossibilityof a Trainspotting sequel.

McGregor shot to fameafter playing the character,Renton, in the 1996 film ofthe IrvineWelsh novel.

The film, based on aseries of short stories,follows a group of heroinaddicts in a late 1980sedinburgh.

The film’sOscar-winningdirector Danny Boyle haspreviously spoken aboutmaking a sequel – Porno,based on Welsh’s follow-upnovel.

But McGregor said: “Iwouldbeworried of damag-ing Trainspotting’s stand-ing by making a poorsequel.

“The film is too impor-tant to me and Britishcinema. If we made a crapsequel, it would be a realshame.”

Gymbossin drinkdrive trialGYM tycoon and formerprofessional tennis playerDavid Lloyd is facing trialin Scotland accused ofdrink-driving offences.

The multi-millionairewas stopped by police onthe A83 near Loch Lomondin his Audi S3 Quattroearlier this year.

he is alleged to haverefused to co-operatewith abreath test requested by apolice officer who thoughthe had been driving “whilehaving alcohol or drugs inhis body”.

The 63-year-old is thensaid to have refused to givea further two specimens ofbreath when he was takento the Clydebank policestation.

he is to stand trial atDumbarton Sheriff Courtin January next year, afterdenying the two charges ata hearing in June.

AN Army officer has beenawarded the DistinguishedService Order for leading thetransformation of a communityto allow scores of Afghansdisplaced by the Taliban toreturn to their homes.

All but 20 of the 100 familiesliving in helmand’s UpperGereshk Valley had left beforeMajorAlexanderTurner, 37, andhis company of Irish Guardsarrived last October.

Over t ime, the of f icerpersuaded the Afghans it wassafe to return by building trustand personally taking part inmore than 100 patrols, comingunder firemore than 70 times.

Major Turner, from London,

said: “We pushed into areascontrolled by the Taliban, areasthey felt were safe havens. Wecreated a calm space in whichlocal civilians could feel confi-dent theywould be safe.

“We researched the crop-planting cycles and encouragedthem to return. Once the tricklestarted, word of mouth createda change in momentum andoncewe had that wewere strug-gling to find enough room in thearea to accommodate a policestation as families returned.”

There were 15 improvisedexplosive device strikes in thearea during his tour, fourtargeting local Afghans.

Two of Major Turner’s men

were killed – dog handler LanceCorporal Liam Tasker, 26, fromFife, and Guardsman ChrisDavies, 22 – and another six lostlimbs.

Paying tribute, the officersaid: “It is a comfort to knowwhat an incredible differenceeveryone has made towardsachieving the objectives we setoutwith.”

MajorTurner’smedal citationsaid he made himself a “pivotalfigure” in the area, hostingmeetings of elders at his baseand becoming a source of “wiseadvice and counsel” for locals.

A total of 140 servicemen andwomenwerenamed in the latestmilitary honours list.

Majorwho created safe areaforAfghans cited inhonours

provide the right provenance forthe diamond jubilee.”

The 10-piece set was inspiredby the grandporcelainRocking-ham dessert service commis-sionedbyWilliam IV in 1830 andfirst used at the 1838 coronationbanquet of Queen Victoria, theonly othermonarch to celebrate60 years on the throne.

Using methods dating back250 years, the diamond jubileeset was hand-made in Stoke-on-Trent by the same potteriesresponsible for the Duke andDuchess of Cambridge’s officialwedding china.

Mrs McGourty said: “Thisrange is even more labour-intensive inproduction than the

royal wedding china. Some ofthe pieces go through ninedifferent processes, severalfiringsandrequirehighlyskilledcraftspeople at each stage.”

RoyalCollectionreleaseschinaset tomark theQueen’s jubileeThe official commemorativechina marking the Queen’sdiamond jubilee goes on saletoday.

hand-gilded in 22 carat gold,the range includes a £49 teacupand saucer, a £25 mug, a seven-inchplate for £35, a 10-inchplatefor £95 anda limited-edition two-handled loving cup for £175.

The Queen herself hasapproved the fine bone chinamemorabilia, which has given a“vital, consistent stream ofwork” to its makers, said NualaMcGourty, retail director at TheRoyal Collection.

She added: “We wanted adesign that was decorative andfeminine, and that would

ON SALE: The china which marksthe Queen’s diamond jubilee.

tests have shown more of theradioactive particles are likelyto dissolve and stay inside thebody than previously thought.

Sepa is upping its pressure onthe Ministry of Defence (MoD)to take responsibility for thepollution. That means findingout exactly where the particlesare coming from, and paying forthem to be cleaned up.

This weekend, Sepa has beenbacked by a former senior MoDsafety official, who accused theministry of “prevarication”.

FredDawson, whoworked forthe MoD for 31 years before heretired as head of the radiationprotection policy team in 2009,said public agencies had beenplaying a game of “pass theparcel” with the Dalgety Baypollution.

The health risk was “mostworrying”, and action to tacklethe problem at its source shouldhave been taken when it wasfirst discovered more than 20years ago, Dawson argued.

he said: “The MoD shouldtake immediate responsibilityfor the contamination and fundall work necessary to makeDalgety Bay beach safe.”

Dalgety Bay was the site ofthe old Donibristle militaryairfield, where many aircraftweredismantled after the endofthe Second World War. Dials inthe planes were coated withluminous radioactive radium sothey could be read at night.

The dials were removed andincinerated in a “bash, burnandbury” policy, along with otherwaste. The ash and clinker wasused as landfill to reclaim partof the headland next to the bay.

Radioactive contamination inthe area was found accidentally

in 1990 by a monitoring teamfrom the nearby Rosyth navaldockyard. Since then Sepa saysat least 1650 pieces of radio-activedebris, fromtiny specks tolumps as big as half-bricks, havebeen detected and removed.

Surveys show the shore nearthe sailing club slipways is beingrepollutedbyabout 100particlesa year. experts think the parti-cles are being swept in by seacurrents from the headland.

Sepa’s newhealth assessmentconcludes that the pollution atDalgetyBayposes “a significanthazard to health”. The dangerswill persist until the source ofthe particles is found andstopped, it says.

experiments suggested up to25% of the particles woulddissolve in the stomachand stayin the body, against up to 15%suggestedbyprevious tests. Theresulting radiation doses forvery young children could behundreds of times higher thanthe nuclear industry’s onemilliSievert a year limit formembers of the public.

Sepa pointed out that theradium266 in the particles had ahalf-life of 1600 years so wouldremain dangerous for centuries.

Agencyradioactivesubstancesspecialist Paul Dale said therewas a one-in-91 chance peoplewould encounter contaminationon theDalgety Bay foreshore.

But the odds might grow ifinteresting remains of planedials were picked up and takenhome. Radioactive paint flakescould lodge under a fingernailand be transferred to themouth.

The Dalgety Bay Sailing Clubsaid it took the pollution veryseriously, and had moved warn-ing signs to make them morevisible. “The club has informedits membership and re-empha-sised thehygiene advice alreadygiven,” said club spokesman,David Burnett.

“The club will fully partici-pate in all future discussionsregarding management of theissue as well as actively investi-gating practical solutions forlong-term remediation.”

The MoD said that it tooksafety very seriously. A spokes-womansaid: “Should significantrisks present themselves, thenSepa has the necessary statu-tory powers to address these.”

Watchdogwarningoverradiation risk tochildrenYOUNG children exposed toradiation from old militaryplanes at a popular Scottishcoastal town face a significantriskof gettingcancer later in life,according toanewstudybyScot-land’s environmentwatchdog.

The Scottish environmentProtection Agency (Sepa) haswarned that babies or toddlerswhoaccidentally swallowoneofthe tiny“hotparticles” thatkeeppolluting the foreshore near ayachtclubatDalgetyBay inFife,could get radiation doseshundreds of times higher thanthe maximum permitted fromnuclear reactors.

earlier studies have under-estimated health hazards fromthepollution, Sepawarned.New

MoD faces fresh clean-up callRob EdWaRds

LOCATION

A90

A921

DalgetyBay

Queensferry(South Queensferry)

Inverkeithing

Rosyth

Firth of Forth

DragonBannatyne tosoldier upKilimanjarofor armed forces charity

TOPMAN: Duncan Bannatyne will tackle Africa’s highest mountain next year.Main picture: Kirsty Anderson

VICToRIa WELdoN

EXCLUsIVE

he is used to challenges in theboardroom and the businessworld. But Dragons’ Den starDuncan Bannatyne is about totake onhis biggest challengeyet– a trek to the top of Africa’shighestmountain.

The renowned businessman,originally from Clydebank, israising money for ex-service-men’s charity Pilgrim Banditsand will be joined by a group ofamputee soldiers in an expedi-tion toKilimanjaro inFebruary.

MrBannatyne, a patronof thecharity, said: “This expeditioncould not be for a better cause. Iam an ambassador for PilgrimBandits and have seen at firsthand the tremendouswork theydowith forces amputees.

“Idecidedtodothetrekbecauseof the amazing courage anddetermination of the guys thatwe help in the charity, guyswhohave lost limbs and are still will-ing to jump out of aeroplanesand takeonextraordinary tasks.

“There will be seven servingsoldiers from 7 Rifles plus fiveamputees on the trip and I willhave to train hard to make sureI’m not left behind.

“It’llbeaphenomenalachieve-ment for these guys to completethis challenge and I’m reallylooking forward to being withthem throughout it as they’regreat fun.”

The self-made millionaire,who owns the Bannatyne’shealth Clubs chain, becameinvolved with the charity –which helps injured ex-specialforces personnel – aftermeetingBen Parkinson.

“he wanted me to give thecharity £5millionordoa charityskydive, so me being the tightScotsman that I am, agreed todothe skydive. I did the jump andwe raised £30,000 for thecharity.

“We met up after that and Ijust enjoyed his company anddecided to become moreinvolved.

“These guys shouldn’t besitting at home doing nothing.The charity gets them out andgets themdoing things.”

The TV star, who has beencritical of the Government’sdecision to cap compensationpayments toveteransat£570,000,plans to train with the formersoldiers in advance of the chal-lenge but admits that he’s notlooking forward to the 10-daytrek.

he said: “We’ve got sometraining in the diary for it, but Idon’t know yet what that willinvolve. There’s not much I’mlooking forward to at themoment to be honest – getting itoverwith and raisingmoney areabout the only things.”

he added that he is “dreadingthe oxygen situation” caused bythe high altitude of themountain.

however, his friend and celeb-

rity DJ, Chris Moyles, whocompleted aKilimanjaro trek in2009, has told himnot toworry.

Mr Bannatyne said: “he said,‘if I cando it, youcando it so justget onwith it, Duncan’.”

The dragon will be joined onthe trekbyMissCommonwealthInternational hayley Mac,another patron of the charity,and amputee soldier ChrisParkes, who was injured by anexplosive device in Afghanistan

in December. he lost his left legand now has a prosthetic limband is awaiting a medicaldischarge from theArmy.

Rifleman Parkes, of the 3rdBattalion Rifles, based in edin-burgh, said: “Iwant to challengemyself as best I can and amdoing this expedition to prove topeople that I am not an invalid,but a strong individual who canget over obstacles.”

The trek to the 5895-metre

(19,341ft) peak will be led byexpedition guide Rhys Jones,who added: “I’ve no doubt thiswill be a challenging under-taking, not least of all for theamputees, but for us all. I’mconfident though it will bea safe and ultimately successfultrek.”

Anyone wishing to donatemoney to the Kilimanjaro expe-dition can do so at www.bmycharity.com/killyteam.

Mr Parkinson was seriouslyinjured while serving as a para-trooper in Afghanistan. he lostboth legs and his voice, as wellas sustaining brain damage,after a roadside bomb explodedin 2006.

Mr Bannatyne said: “I wasactually asked to join the char-ity when I had lunch with BenParkinson, who is one of themost seriously injured ex-servicemen fromAfghanistan.

‘‘There will be sevenserving soldiers, plusfive amputees. I will haveto train hard to makesure I’m not left behind

THE HERALD MonDAy 10.10.2011 PAGE 11 nEWS

ScotlandOfficeattacksSNP intugs rowThe Scotland Office hasaccused the SNP of irre-sponsible scaremongeringover its criticism of a deci-sion to withdraw fundingfor two emergency tugs.

The contract for the tugsin the Western Isles andShetland expired earlierthismonth.TheUKGovern-ment has promised limitedfunding to extend their usefor an interim period of upto threemonths.

Dr Richard Dixon, direc-tor of World Wildlife FundScotland, said Government“penny-pinching” is riskinglives and the environment.

SNPtransportspokesmanAngus MacNeil MP echoedDrDixon’scomments:“Leav-ing Scottish waters withoutany emergency cover hasneedlessly added to thedangers faced by those whouseScotland’s seas.

“It’s also putting Scot-land’s environment at risk.The Tory and LibDemGovernmentissimplytryingto save money, when itshould be about saving livesandprotecting the seas.”

AScotlandOffice spokes-man said the office is work-ing closely with theMaritime and CoastguardAgency on the issues ofcover and safety in general.

he said Mr MacNeil hadrepeatedly claimed there isno cover for emergencytowing vehicles (eTVs)despite the Governmentmaking clear it could “spotpurchase”avesselinthecaseof an incident while sortingoutan interimcontract.

In direct response to MrMacNeil, he added: “Thereis no need for irresponsiblescaremongering as a result.

“[Mr MacNeil] continuestomisunderstand thediffer-ence between search andrescue vessels and an eTVservice and the nature ofthe contract process.”

McGregorrules outPorno filmACTOR ewan McGregorhas ruledout thepossibilityof a Trainspotting sequel.

McGregor shot to fameafter playing the character,Renton, in the 1996 film ofthe IrvineWelsh novel.

The film, based on aseries of short stories,follows a group of heroinaddicts in a late 1980sedinburgh.

The film’sOscar-winningdirector Danny Boyle haspreviously spoken aboutmaking a sequel – Porno,based on Welsh’s follow-upnovel.

But McGregor said: “Iwouldbeworried of damag-ing Trainspotting’s stand-ing by making a poorsequel.

“The film is too impor-tant to me and Britishcinema. If we made a crapsequel, it would be a realshame.”

Gymbossin drinkdrive trialGYM tycoon and formerprofessional tennis playerDavid Lloyd is facing trialin Scotland accused ofdrink-driving offences.

The multi-millionairewas stopped by police onthe A83 near Loch Lomondin his Audi S3 Quattroearlier this year.

he is alleged to haverefused to co-operatewith abreath test requested by apolice officer who thoughthe had been driving “whilehaving alcohol or drugs inhis body”.

The 63-year-old is thensaid to have refused to givea further two specimens ofbreath when he was takento the Clydebank policestation.

he is to stand trial atDumbarton Sheriff Courtin January next year, afterdenying the two charges ata hearing in June.

AN Army officer has beenawarded the DistinguishedService Order for leading thetransformation of a communityto allow scores of Afghansdisplaced by the Taliban toreturn to their homes.

All but 20 of the 100 familiesliving in helmand’s UpperGereshk Valley had left beforeMajorAlexanderTurner, 37, andhis company of Irish Guardsarrived last October.

Over t ime, the of f icerpersuaded the Afghans it wassafe to return by building trustand personally taking part inmore than 100 patrols, comingunder firemore than 70 times.

Major Turner, from London,

said: “We pushed into areascontrolled by the Taliban, areasthey felt were safe havens. Wecreated a calm space in whichlocal civilians could feel confi-dent theywould be safe.

“We researched the crop-planting cycles and encouragedthem to return. Once the tricklestarted, word of mouth createda change in momentum andoncewe had that wewere strug-gling to find enough room in thearea to accommodate a policestation as families returned.”

There were 15 improvisedexplosive device strikes in thearea during his tour, fourtargeting local Afghans.

Two of Major Turner’s men

were killed – dog handler LanceCorporal Liam Tasker, 26, fromFife, and Guardsman ChrisDavies, 22 – and another six lostlimbs.

Paying tribute, the officersaid: “It is a comfort to knowwhat an incredible differenceeveryone has made towardsachieving the objectives we setoutwith.”

MajorTurner’smedal citationsaid he made himself a “pivotalfigure” in the area, hostingmeetings of elders at his baseand becoming a source of “wiseadvice and counsel” for locals.

A total of 140 servicemen andwomenwerenamed in the latestmilitary honours list.

Majorwho created safe areaforAfghans cited inhonours

provide the right provenance forthe diamond jubilee.”

The 10-piece set was inspiredby the grandporcelainRocking-ham dessert service commis-sionedbyWilliam IV in 1830 andfirst used at the 1838 coronationbanquet of Queen Victoria, theonly othermonarch to celebrate60 years on the throne.

Using methods dating back250 years, the diamond jubileeset was hand-made in Stoke-on-Trent by the same potteriesresponsible for the Duke andDuchess of Cambridge’s officialwedding china.

Mrs McGourty said: “Thisrange is even more labour-intensive inproduction than the

royal wedding china. Some ofthe pieces go through ninedifferent processes, severalfiringsandrequirehighlyskilledcraftspeople at each stage.”

RoyalCollectionreleaseschinaset tomark theQueen’s jubileeThe official commemorativechina marking the Queen’sdiamond jubilee goes on saletoday.

hand-gilded in 22 carat gold,the range includes a £49 teacupand saucer, a £25 mug, a seven-inchplate for £35, a 10-inchplatefor £95 anda limited-edition two-handled loving cup for £175.

The Queen herself hasapproved the fine bone chinamemorabilia, which has given a“vital, consistent stream ofwork” to its makers, said NualaMcGourty, retail director at TheRoyal Collection.

She added: “We wanted adesign that was decorative andfeminine, and that would

ON SALE: The china which marksthe Queen’s diamond jubilee.

tests have shown more of theradioactive particles are likelyto dissolve and stay inside thebody than previously thought.

Sepa is upping its pressure onthe Ministry of Defence (MoD)to take responsibility for thepollution. That means findingout exactly where the particlesare coming from, and paying forthem to be cleaned up.

This weekend, Sepa has beenbacked by a former senior MoDsafety official, who accused theministry of “prevarication”.

FredDawson, whoworked forthe MoD for 31 years before heretired as head of the radiationprotection policy team in 2009,said public agencies had beenplaying a game of “pass theparcel” with the Dalgety Baypollution.

The health risk was “mostworrying”, and action to tacklethe problem at its source shouldhave been taken when it wasfirst discovered more than 20years ago, Dawson argued.

he said: “The MoD shouldtake immediate responsibilityfor the contamination and fundall work necessary to makeDalgety Bay beach safe.”

Dalgety Bay was the site ofthe old Donibristle militaryairfield, where many aircraftweredismantled after the endofthe Second World War. Dials inthe planes were coated withluminous radioactive radium sothey could be read at night.

The dials were removed andincinerated in a “bash, burnandbury” policy, along with otherwaste. The ash and clinker wasused as landfill to reclaim partof the headland next to the bay.

Radioactive contamination inthe area was found accidentally

in 1990 by a monitoring teamfrom the nearby Rosyth navaldockyard. Since then Sepa saysat least 1650 pieces of radio-activedebris, fromtiny specks tolumps as big as half-bricks, havebeen detected and removed.

Surveys show the shore nearthe sailing club slipways is beingrepollutedbyabout 100particlesa year. experts think the parti-cles are being swept in by seacurrents from the headland.

Sepa’s newhealth assessmentconcludes that the pollution atDalgetyBayposes “a significanthazard to health”. The dangerswill persist until the source ofthe particles is found andstopped, it says.

experiments suggested up to25% of the particles woulddissolve in the stomachand stayin the body, against up to 15%suggestedbyprevious tests. Theresulting radiation doses forvery young children could behundreds of times higher thanthe nuclear industry’s onemilliSievert a year limit formembers of the public.

Sepa pointed out that theradium266 in the particles had ahalf-life of 1600 years so wouldremain dangerous for centuries.

Agencyradioactivesubstancesspecialist Paul Dale said therewas a one-in-91 chance peoplewould encounter contaminationon theDalgety Bay foreshore.

But the odds might grow ifinteresting remains of planedials were picked up and takenhome. Radioactive paint flakescould lodge under a fingernailand be transferred to themouth.

The Dalgety Bay Sailing Clubsaid it took the pollution veryseriously, and had moved warn-ing signs to make them morevisible. “The club has informedits membership and re-empha-sised thehygiene advice alreadygiven,” said club spokesman,David Burnett.

“The club will fully partici-pate in all future discussionsregarding management of theissue as well as actively investi-gating practical solutions forlong-term remediation.”

The MoD said that it tooksafety very seriously. A spokes-womansaid: “Should significantrisks present themselves, thenSepa has the necessary statu-tory powers to address these.”

Watchdogwarningoverradiation risk tochildrenYOUNG children exposed toradiation from old militaryplanes at a popular Scottishcoastal town face a significantriskof gettingcancer later in life,according toanewstudybyScot-land’s environmentwatchdog.

The Scottish environmentProtection Agency (Sepa) haswarned that babies or toddlerswhoaccidentally swallowoneofthe tiny“hotparticles” thatkeeppolluting the foreshore near ayachtclubatDalgetyBay inFife,could get radiation doseshundreds of times higher thanthe maximum permitted fromnuclear reactors.

earlier studies have under-estimated health hazards fromthepollution, Sepawarned.New

MoD faces fresh clean-up callRob EdWaRds

LOCATION

A90

A921

DalgetyBay

Queensferry(South Queensferry)

Inverkeithing

Rosyth

Firth of Forth

DragonBannatyne tosoldier upKilimanjarofor armed forces charity

TOPMAN: Duncan Bannatyne will tackle Africa’s highest mountain next year.Main picture: Kirsty Anderson

VICToRIa WELdoN

EXCLUsIVE

he is used to challenges in theboardroom and the businessworld. But Dragons’ Den starDuncan Bannatyne is about totake onhis biggest challengeyet– a trek to the top of Africa’shighestmountain.

The renowned businessman,originally from Clydebank, israising money for ex-service-men’s charity Pilgrim Banditsand will be joined by a group ofamputee soldiers in an expedi-tion toKilimanjaro inFebruary.

MrBannatyne, a patronof thecharity, said: “This expeditioncould not be for a better cause. Iam an ambassador for PilgrimBandits and have seen at firsthand the tremendouswork theydowith forces amputees.

“Idecidedtodothetrekbecauseof the amazing courage anddetermination of the guys thatwe help in the charity, guyswhohave lost limbs and are still will-ing to jump out of aeroplanesand takeonextraordinary tasks.

“There will be seven servingsoldiers from 7 Rifles plus fiveamputees on the trip and I willhave to train hard to make sureI’m not left behind.

“It’llbeaphenomenalachieve-ment for these guys to completethis challenge and I’m reallylooking forward to being withthem throughout it as they’regreat fun.”

The self-made millionaire,who owns the Bannatyne’shealth Clubs chain, becameinvolved with the charity –which helps injured ex-specialforces personnel – aftermeetingBen Parkinson.

“he wanted me to give thecharity £5millionordoa charityskydive, so me being the tightScotsman that I am, agreed todothe skydive. I did the jump andwe raised £30,000 for thecharity.

“We met up after that and Ijust enjoyed his company anddecided to become moreinvolved.

“These guys shouldn’t besitting at home doing nothing.The charity gets them out andgets themdoing things.”

The TV star, who has beencritical of the Government’sdecision to cap compensationpayments toveteransat£570,000,plans to train with the formersoldiers in advance of the chal-lenge but admits that he’s notlooking forward to the 10-daytrek.

he said: “We’ve got sometraining in the diary for it, but Idon’t know yet what that willinvolve. There’s not much I’mlooking forward to at themoment to be honest – getting itoverwith and raisingmoney areabout the only things.”

he added that he is “dreadingthe oxygen situation” caused bythe high altitude of themountain.

however, his friend and celeb-

rity DJ, Chris Moyles, whocompleted aKilimanjaro trek in2009, has told himnot toworry.

Mr Bannatyne said: “he said,‘if I cando it, youcando it so justget onwith it, Duncan’.”

The dragon will be joined onthe trekbyMissCommonwealthInternational hayley Mac,another patron of the charity,and amputee soldier ChrisParkes, who was injured by anexplosive device in Afghanistan

in December. he lost his left legand now has a prosthetic limband is awaiting a medicaldischarge from theArmy.

Rifleman Parkes, of the 3rdBattalion Rifles, based in edin-burgh, said: “Iwant to challengemyself as best I can and amdoing this expedition to prove topeople that I am not an invalid,but a strong individual who canget over obstacles.”

The trek to the 5895-metre

(19,341ft) peak will be led byexpedition guide Rhys Jones,who added: “I’ve no doubt thiswill be a challenging under-taking, not least of all for theamputees, but for us all. I’mconfident though it will bea safe and ultimately successfultrek.”

Anyone wishing to donatemoney to the Kilimanjaro expe-dition can do so at www.bmycharity.com/killyteam.

Mr Parkinson was seriouslyinjured while serving as a para-trooper in Afghanistan. he lostboth legs and his voice, as wellas sustaining brain damage,after a roadside bomb explodedin 2006.

Mr Bannatyne said: “I wasactually asked to join the char-ity when I had lunch with BenParkinson, who is one of themost seriously injured ex-servicemen fromAfghanistan.

‘‘There will be sevenserving soldiers, plusfive amputees. I will haveto train hard to makesure I’m not left behind

Damian Scott-Masson is immersed in local culture as he sets up Camps International’s latest destination

12 Camps InternatIonal photo compEtitioN

This newspaper is published by Camps International Ltd, Unit 10 Kingfisher Park, Headlands Business Park, Salisbury Road, Blashford, Ringwood, England, UK, BH24 3NX, www.campsinternational.com, 0844 800 1127. The opinions in the articles are those of the individual writers and not necessarily of Camps International Ltd or any associated personnel.

This selection of pictures from our annual photography competition illustrates just some of the highlights

of going on a volunteer expedition with Camps International. Make friends for life; get involved with environmental work; have the adventure of a lifetime and work on local community projects in areas that desperately need help. If you want to find out how you could get involved in the future and take the first step in planning your life-changing expedition, please contact us through our website www.campsinternational.com or call us on 0844 800 1127.

And the winner of the photography competition is? Visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/campsinternational to find out...

Put yourself in the picture Our latest photo competition attracted a record number of entries. Contact us to find out how you could take part in 2012