Tag: Next Challenge Grant
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Walking 400 miles along Japan’s tsunami-affected coastline
Two weeks ago, we waved off the first two winners of the 2017 Next Challenge Grant: Libby and Lisa set off run and cycle up every Munro in Scotland. They’ve already ticked off 31 mountains and you can follow the rest of their progress on Twitter. This week another adventure begins: Robin Lewis, who won…
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Running and cycling all the Munros
Two weeks ago I announced the winners of the 2017 Next Challenge Grant. There were sixteen winners spanning a whole range of adventures but the biggest award went to two fell running buddies: Lisa and Libby. The pair are planning to run up and cycle between every Munro in Scotland (a Munro is a mountain…
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The Winners of the 2017 Next Challenge Grant
I am absolutely delighted to announce the winners of the 2017 Next Challenge Grant. I set up the grant three years ago to help people get into adventure. It started with me donating £200 of my own money. I then invited 100 members of the public to donate £2 each to double the amount I…
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Cycling 2,000 miles through Europe
Charlie and Sam King were winners of a 2016 Next Challenge Grant. They used their money for a big cycling trip across Europe inspired by their dad who had done a similar ride aged 17 but had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Charlie and Sam were partly inspired by their dad’s attitude to…
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Cycling the Welsh Three Peaks
Cycling between, walking up and swimming on the slopes of Snowdon, Cadair Idris and Pen y Fan. That was the plan for 2016 Next Challenge Grant winner Heather Jones. She hadn’t planned, however, to get buried by snow in a bivvy bag. Her trip turned out to be a little more dramatic than she’d anticipated.…
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Shortlist for The 2017 Next Challenge Grant
I am delighted to announce another inspiring list of adventure ideas for this year’s Next Challenge Grant. Of the 208 ideas submitted, 41 have been selected to complete an application form to win a grant towards their trip. The winners will be announced in June. For the many people that didn’t make it into the…
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Running Around the Channel Islands
Applications for the 2017 Next Challenge Grant closed last Friday. We’ll have to wait a while before we find out who’s going to win but, in the meantime, there are still plenty of winners from 2016 who are up to exciting things. One of those people is Amanda McDonnell who will be setting off later…
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2017 Next Challenge Grant Closed for Applications
This year’s Next Challenge Grant has now closed for applications and donations. Applications: 208 people applied for the grant. Donations: 79 people donated a total of £412 which, after PayPal fees, translates to £382. A big thank you to everyone who donated. Adventurers: Ten adventurers contributed a total of £1,300 and I contributed my usual…
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Applications for The 2017 Next Challenge Grant close on Friday
The deadline for applications to The Next Challenge Grant is midnight on Friday, 7th April. You can apply here. The application form is online and should only take about five or ten minutes. All I need from you is to check you meet the criteria then hear a very succinct summary of your idea. If…
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Failure is My Fear (Worse Would Be Not Trying)
Heather Jones is about to set off to cycle between, hike up and swim on the slopes of the Welsh Three Peaks. She was one of the winners of last year’s Next Challenge Grant and has very kindly been loaned one of Simon Stanforth’s excellent expedition bikes for the trip. Below, Heather explains what’s motivated…
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Walking Every National Trail in England and Wales
This time last year, a 19-year-old Abbie Barnes wrote an article for this blog declaring her ambition to walk the length of every National Trail in England and Wales. Now, a year later, she’s reporting back on how she’s get on… (Abbie won £200 from my adventure grant. You can read more about it, make…
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Would You Donate £3 Towards Someone Else’s Adventure?
Background to The Next Challenge Grant Every year I put forward £200 of my own money as a grant to pay for someone else’s expedition. Several other ‘adventurers’ chip in too. Now I’m looking for 100+ members of the public to donate £3 each to put into the pot. I first did this in…