On the 4th December, I was invited to attend an award presentation evening at The Zone in Plymouth. I had been asked to give a talk about my Arctic adventures and present awards to young achievers. I was extremely excited to be asked to fulfil the task, being a strong supporter of outdoor education and its role with developing life skills outside the classroom.

Eighteen young people, supported by family members, came together at The Zone to celebrate their achievements over the last 6 months and pick up twenty-six awards. The awards ranged from BSAC Basic Snorkel Diver Awards to RYA Basic Sailing Skills Level 2.

“The Zone’s”:www.thezoneplymouth.co.uk mission statement is:

To empower young people to live safe, healthy and positive lives.

“The Personal Development Programme (PDP)”:http://www.personaldevelopmentteam.blogspot.com/ aims to provide a positive environment where a young person can challenge negative behaviour, achieving personal success, which builds motivation, self-esteem and basic skills.

Once again, congratulations to everyone.