I have been very lucky throughout my life to spend time in the mountains. We were encouraged at school to join the CCF (Combined Cadet Force) which took us on regular weekends and week-long trips to wild places throughout the UK. Then at 17, I went on a British Schools Exploring Society Expedition to North East Greenland where we spent eight weeks mountaineering and reluctantly doing the odd bit of scientific work!
All these trips gave me a love of the outdoors and the unique physical challenge it presents. Camping, cooking, roughing it, sharing the laughs and the tears with friends and teachers. It brought me face to face with danger and on one occasion serious injury. Taught me to deal with blisters, discomfort, being cold and wet, and to understand that physical pain is usually temporary.
I was lucky because my school offered, supported and actively encouraged these activities and my parents could afford to fund them. I’m very aware that not every young person has these same blessings. So today I’m going to invite applications from teenagers who need a helping hand in the pursuit of their dreams.
I’m looking to support teenagers who need help fundraising to go on physical-adventures. We did a pilot of this scheme last year and helped a young man who was fundraising for the 2019 World Scout Jamboree helping him raise about €650.
It’s a two-way scheme that requires a commitment of time and effort from the individual, we don’t just write a cheque, nor do we provide raffle prizes and the like. They will also spend time with us at our Nantwich unit learning life skills about the business of making and selling things.
We don’t support generic charities. I want to encourage individuals who need a helping hand to do something adventurous. If you or someone you love is on a mission to raise funds to go an adventure and are under 18, then please get in touch. The email must be written by the person seeking funding in their own words.
In your email, please tell me about yourself including your age, what your adventure is, why you want to go, and how much money you still need to raise. It’s is an ongoing program with no start or finish date. We don’t have specific criteria for who or what kind of adventures we will fund. The question we will ask ourselves is, does this person and their reason resonates with all of us at Valentte.
Want to take this further? Please contact me and title your email The Valentte Adventure Fund.
Great reading!!! I don’t often read blogs as I usually find them quite boring after a while but I must admit, I really do find your blogs very interesting . Keep up the good work.
Regards
Kathy Dennis
P.S. Absolutely love all your reed defusers and always buy some when I visit the fair at Ripley Castle every year.
HI Kathy
Thank you so much for your lovely kind words about the blog. It has been one of the hardest, but I have to say one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It has placed me far outside my comfort zone! Who knew hey! I normally expect that to happen in cold, wet, mountain places. Not sitting in the cosy warmth of my caravan! Thanks for sharing your story and of course for shopping with us.
Best Wishes
Luke x
this is a great idea! I think in the last few years there has not been enough focus on our young people having adventures that test them both physically and mentally which gives our young people skills for life. Teachers today are reluctant to run anything risky through fear of being sued, then as a society we complain that the only intrests of our young people are their phones, Love island and Wags on social media with the aspiration being on emulating these people . As I kid and in my early 20s I used to do loads of outdoor riding across rough terrain, followed by camping. It taught me over the years planning, thinking for myself, team work, resilience, confidence , listening and learning from others and understanding actions have consequences. For example if you don’t pitch the tent properly and plan where it should go you get wet, the tent blows down or you are sleeping on something lumpy. But you learn from it and never make the the same mistake again. As a kid and adult I did get wet a few times, I missed a few dinners (we burnt the food) , I did end hospital with a few broken bones. However I did survive and have amazing skills as adult because of it. I am a very capable young women today because I was allowed to learn outside the class room. I can’t wait to hear about the adventures of the young people you are about the fund, the skills they gain, how it helps them develop as people because of. Ultimately as a society we benefit as a society if we have really able young people. You are right Luke, not everyone is lucky enough to have parents to fund their adventures, but every young person needs to do something adventurous to test them. I think it is amazing that Valentte is going to fund a young person and I think more more businesses need to follow Valentte lead on this.
Hi Katie
Thanks for sharing your story. I share your pain from badly set up tents and burnt food. I have spent many a night getting wet in a tent, thinking that I should have set it up better/in a different spot!
Best Wishes
Luke x