Five set out on the adventure of lifetime
TESTING TIME AHEAD FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES TEAM
Reporter YOUNG people with learning difficulties are preparing to set off today on the adventure of a lifetime, battling the elements and learning to survive in sub-zero temperatures.
Tracey Beaty, 20, Ross Keeley, 20, Amber Studholme, 20, Cole Forster, 22 and Lewis Codling, 26, have raised more than £7,000 between them to help to fund the trip. And they’re set to head to the wilds of Norway thanks to children’s charity Smile for Life.
From the moment their arrive their determination will be tested as they camp out in insulated tents and sleeping bags in temperatures as low as –16 degrees Celsius, dig “survival holes” and learn how to melt and purify snow to make water.
All five have worked at Smile for Life’s coffee shop Cafe Beam, in Gosforth, Newcastle, where they and other young people with disabilities and learning difficulties learn new skills and meet members of their community.
Lewis, who has raised nearly £2,000 so far, said: “I am really looking forward to going to Norway, even though it will be scary without my parents,
“I am so excited for this opportunity. I really think it is going to change my life.”
Cole, who has also nearly hit the £2,000 mark, added: “I have been abroad before but haven’t done anything like this. This is going to be a once-in- a-lifetime experience.”
Amber added: “I’m really excited to try something new with some of my friends. We will be doing sledging and camping on an ice lake which sounds like so much fun.”
Charity chief executive Paula Gascoigne said the trip is all part of the charity’s aim of inspiring youngsters with disabilities and learning difficulties.
She said: “This is a huge thing for them. Most have not been away from home without their parents and don’t like doing physical activities so they are really pushing themselves.
“They have been training, going to our Fit Club, doing Zumba and other activities to get ready for it.
“We want to create lasting memories for them and show them they can do the same things as any other young person with the right support.”
This isn’t the first time the Newcastle-based charity has lead trips for the young people it supports, but this will be its biggest expedition yet.
Paula said: “We took two youngsters to Morocco two years ago, and it was all about overcoming the obstacles they would face out there.
“Afterwards we wanted to plan a bigger expedition with more young people with a wider range of learning difficulties and disabilities.
“We chose this group because they are our young ambassadors and they have shown they are so dedicated by raising the money needed to fund their trip. “We are so proud of them all.” Paula and the charity’s sports and treks manager Iain Jamieson will join the five when they leave for Norway from Stansted Airport today.