SIX Scouts from the Onchan District Explorer Scout Unit have set off to Nepal to undertake their Explorer Belt Award.
The team will be required to hike in adventurous country and undertake 10-12 worthwhile projects, and then produce a log book and give a presentation to an invited audience about their experiences.
It is made up of Ryan Davis, Callum Faulds, Jack Kinrade, and Daniel Phair, all aged 16, and Nick Hawkes and Jake Rumney, both 17.
After spending a few days in Kathmandu and Chitwan Safari Reserve the Scouts will travel to Nepal’s second city, Pokhara, where they will do charity work at an orphanage, and present gifts to the children.
The team will then hike in the Annapurna Conservation Area to the remote village of Tangting, set in the foothills of the Himalayas. It will take almost seven hours.
At Tangting they will help a visiting medical team from the UK to check the health of all the children, and many adults.
Island commissioner for Explorer Scouts Mike Southall said fundraising has been an important and significant part of the team’s training for the last six months, adding: ‘They are well on the way to financing their trip to Nepal and realising the objective for their main project – the purchase of a special medical bed for use in Tangting’s new care centre.’
Many Gurkhas come from Tangting and the team hope to meet some retired Gurkhas and, hopefully, one or two currently serving in the regiment. Interviews with the soldiers will form part of the team’s presentation.
A few surprise projects will also be set for the team.