Press Releases
Young explorers from Rotherham reach the mountaintop with help from SYCF
6th October 2009
ADVENTUROUS youngsters from Swallownest Explorer Scouts have completed a gruelling 100km canoe expedition and ascent to the top of Ben Nevis, with a leg up from the South Yorkshire Community Foundation.
The Swallownest Explorers were joined by other scouts from throughout Rotherham on a week long trip to Scotland that for many ended with the successful completion of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold award and the Queen's Scout Award, the highest accolade in scouting.
A grant from SYCF paid for lifejackets to assist the scouts in their four day coast to coast expedition along the Caledonian Canal, which was immediately followed the next day by a trek up the UK's highest peak.
Gary Bacon, leader of Swallownest Explorer Scouts, said: "This was a life changing experience for many of the young people that we took. A lot of them were the first member of their family to complete such a mammoth task.
"They canal expedition was taken on in order to complete the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen's Scout Awards, but the ascent the next day up Ben Nevis was something of a bonus for them.
"It has been a long time since I have seen people come back from a trip as tired as they were."
One member of the explorer expedition was the first Rotherham Explorer Scout to achieve the Queen's Scout Award since the awards were set up five years ago.
While the grant received was crucial in allowing the scouts to take on this expedition, the group are also expecting to reap the long term benefits of the funding.
Gary said: "The contribution for the trip was very helpful for the trip but the equipment we have bought will be useful for the future too.
"If the grant was to just go towards the costs of the trip then all we would have to show for it is the memories, but this way we have something tangible and sustainable that we can use in the future.
"For groups like us that aren't high profile, grants that cater for the smaller things are the lifeblood for us and we couldn't do a lot of the things we do without them."
The completion of the expedition marked the end of an 18 month journey since the young scouts first began planning the trip, and they have all had the opportunity to take new skills from the experience.
Pauline Grice, chief executive of SYCF, said: "What these young people have achieved is extraordinary and we are honoured to have played some part in helping them towards achieving their goals.
"The group stands as a shining example of how our small grants funding can add lasting value to local communities, and it clear to see that the experience these young people have had will stay with them for a long time."
Find out how to apply for a grant from the South Yorkshire Community Foundation.
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