Sunday 26 January 2014

Experiences.






















Here's a load of random pictures that describe what I'll be experiencing when I enter the rainforest, when I'm scuba-diving and what animals I'm likely to find.

Plans for this week.

This week I am going to compose a letter to various trust charities, companies and organisations asking for personal sponsorship, donations and store vouchers for my Honduras raffle, that will take place during December of this year.
Throughout the year, I am going to be asking many of the companies to donate their products to the raffle and in return I will advertise their companies on my blog, raffle tickets and on posters etc. I will also have their company names and logos printed on the T-shirts that I will wear during my rainforest expeditions in Honduras, and during any fundraising events I plan on doing with my team.

I will also offer any Honduras presentations and saxophone lessons for children, if need be. I am currently awaiting confirmation from TYO Jazz Collective, if they would be available to play at any request, made by the companies that will support me on my expedition.

The Bake Sale poster

This is the poster I am using during my bake sales at the TYO.

The TYO/Urmston Music School Bake Sales


TYO (Trafford Youth Orchestra - that I attend every Friday) has allowed me to sell cakes to raise funds for my Honduras expedition!

The eBay house raid.

My mother has raided through cupboards, under beds and in the loft to search for items worth enough value to sell on eBay. She has made a great total of £167 (after eBay fees - £33 off £200). She has sold some items of my Dad's, that she finds rubbish (but she hasn't told him yet! Hopefully, he doesn't read this!)

My Nanna & Gaga are the best

My Nanna and Gaga are pensioners. But today, they have given me a cheque for £300 to pay my Honduras deposit, as an early 18th birthday present. Love yous

First draft of my business plan Jan 2014


Costs/Business Plan for Honduras

Today, I am creating my business plan. The cost of the trip, including PADI diving training, equipment, the deposit and spending money, is roughly £4200. As part of my blog, I am going to keep you informed with every aspect of my fundraising. i am going to be doing this by: bake sales, car boot sales, eBay, tombolas, raffles, obtaining raffle prizes from various companies, finding grants and gaining sponsorship.

I have recently been successful in my application to become a sales assistant in WHSmith, at my local mall. Part of my income will be put towards paying for my expedition.

About OpWall.

Operation Wallacea is an organisation, funded by tuition fees, that runs a series of biological and conservation management research programs in remote locations across the world. These expeditions are designed with specific wildlife conservation aims in mind - from identifying areas needing protection, through to implementing and assessing conversation management programs. What is different about Operation Wallacea is that large teams of university academics, who are specialists in various aspects of biodiversity or social and economic studies, are concentrated at the target study sites giving volunteers the opportunity to work on a range of projects. The surveys result in a large number of publications in peer-reviewed journals each year, have resulted in 30 vertebrate species new to science being discovered, 4 'extinct' species being re-discovered and £2 million levered from funding agencies to set up best practice management examples at the study sites. These large survey teams of academics and volunteers that are funded independently of normal academic courses have enabled large temporal and spatial biodiversity and socio-economic data sets to be produced. They provide information to help with organising effective conservation management programmes.

I have been selected as part of a team of 16 from my grammar school, to take part in a research expedition to Honduras in July of 2015. I am ecstatic and believe that this expedition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will aid my future towards a career within the medical field. 

In my first week in Honduras, I will spend around 10 days in the last cloud rainforest on this planet, where I will be working alongside a range of different field scientists and learn about the many species encountered. I will also take part in lectures, that will provide me with information about the habitats and species we may find along the way. We will complete aspects of forest survival training. I will be assisting in medical aspects whilst on the expedition, that's part of my work experience.

The next 10 days consist of moving towards Utila, where we will be scuba-diving next to the corals and investigating mangrove lagoons and carrying out surveys from manatees. For this week, I will have needed to qualify for my PADI open water referral. 

Here's a link to the Operation Wallacea website: www.opwall.com
I created this blog today, on the 26th January 2014. I will continue to post on this blog until September 2015, after my Honduras Expedition. I hope all my family, friends and welcome guests enjoy reading my blog and help support my progress towards my trip of a lifetime.

Started blog. January 2014.