Tag: Next Challenge Grant
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121 People Just Did Something Wonderful
Applications for The 2016 Next Challenge Grant closed 10 days ago. 300 people applied and I have already seen a range of fantastic ideas amongst them. If you applied then you should have received an email from me this morning. Check your spam folder. Someone who made the shortlist last year missed the deadline because…
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Last Chance To Win All This Great Stuff
Applications for The Next Challenge Grant close this Friday. As well as money towards your adventure, there’s lots of other cool stuff up for grabs from a range of kind sponsors. Including… [divide] Lyon Equipment UK distributors for a range of great brands such as Ortlieb (think: panniers), Exped (camping mats) and Optimus (stoves). They…
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Advice for Next Challenge Grant applicants
Given the volume of applications I receive (about 1,300 in 2015) and the small number that we are able to fund (17 last year, 10 the year before), I thought it would be helpful to give some basic guidance on the sort of thing I am – and am not – looking for in an…
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We’ll Give You Money For Your Adventure If…
The Next Challenge Grant gives money to people with good a idea for an adventure. We’re particularly keen to help those who haven’t done much of this sort of thing before. However, as well as awards for general adventure ideas, there are some extra funds available for specific things. Extra money may be available for…
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The Great Glen Canoe Trail: Not Recommended For Inflatable Boats
2015 Next Challenge Grant Winners Ben Smith and Judith Pope recently completed their paddle the length of the Caledonian Canal in Scotland. Here’s Jude’s account… You can apply for – and donate to – the 2016 Next Challenge Grant here. Paddling the Caledonian Canal in a Packraft Made for Two by Judith Pope In April…
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Meet The People Giving Away Their Money For Someone Else’s Adventure
If you have an idea for an adventure then you should apply for my grant now. I call it ‘my’ grant but I only fund a fraction of it myself. Most of the money comes from other people. There are nine adventurers (people) who are each giving between £100 and £200 towards the grant. I…
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Wouldn’t It Be A Dull Life If Lived Firmly Within The Comfort Zone?
2015 grant winners Jude and Ben are about to tackle the Caledonian Canal in an inflatable boat. Here, Jude shares her dislike of water and the cold but why life would be dull if we always lived within our comfort zones. Jude and Ben’s trip is one of ten expeditions sponsored by a Next Challenge…
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Why Giving Away All My Advertising Revenue Was The Best Thing I Ever Did
I set up this website to help people go on adventures. I hope that it’s been doing that in some way for each of the seven years that I’ve been running it. But, even if it hadn’t been useful for all of that time, I know for a fact that in 2015 it helped at…
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For Want of a Nail on The Great Wall of China
We recently wished good luck to Richard Fairbrother, winner of a 2015 Next Challenge Grant, who set off to hike a remote stretch of the Great Wall of China in winter. He had some difficulties out there in the snow but he’s made it back to civilisation in one piece and shares his story below.…
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Could You Walk the Length of Every National Trail in the UK?
Some of my earliest adventures were on the UK’s long distance trails: the Ridgeway, the South West Coastal Path, the West Highland Way. They’re such a great way to have a real adventure and physical challenge but without the organisational faff and planning involved in making up your own route. They’re often historical, (like the…
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‘Wow, it was hard’ – The first grant winner reports back
I’m delighted to have the first report from a winner of our expedition grant who has completed their expedition. Teenagers George Kefford and Jaxson Samuels successfully walked the length of North Stradbroke Island, off the coast of Australia. Below, George reports on burns, blood blisters and Bluebottle jellyfish… Walking Across North Stradbroke Island by…
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Walking the Great Wall in Winter
First: Hi Tim, Happy New Year! I just got back from Australia last night, and I plan to head off tomorrow morning for my trek…” Then: I’ve just taken a closer look at the weather forecast and it’s meant to snow and hit -20C overnight at the nearest weather station (meaning it’ll be closer to…