STUDENT Lewis Nixon will be trekking across Finland on a budget for 10 days as part of his Explorer Belt challenge.
The 17-year-old Haslingden High School and Sixth Form A level student is a member of Ramsbottom Explorer unit having joined 7th Ramsbottom (Greenmount) Beavers aged six and continued into Cubs and Scouts.
The challenge will see Lewis, and fellow Ramsbottom Explorers Charlie and James, in a ‘Race across the World’-style adventure over 100 miles.
He said: “There are 20 Explorers from Ramsbottom who are going on the expedition and we all get just £3 a day.
“We will be going at the end of July and into August next year and have to each raise £1,500 for the trip.
“When we arrive, we get told the destination we have to get to and while we cross the country, we have to complete different tasks, like volunteering – you could offer to help with a food bank.”
He said he was most looking forward to going to a country he had never been to before and learning about a different culture and also getting to eat different food.
However, he was also a little bit wary of the bears and the wolves and said they would have to take care where they pitched their tent.
As Lewis, Charlie and James will all be 18 when they make the trip, they will also be allowed to accept offers of accommodation and take up work.
He said: “I enjoy Explorers because I like to meet new people and getting to do different things. Some meetings we learn new skills and sometimes we just have fun.”
Lewis is studying Geography, English Language and Digital Media for his A levels and once he finishes, he is planning to become a train driver because he wants to travel.
As the trio are all from Tottington, they have been backed by a generous donation from a bequest, they also made Mothering Sunday plant pots which Lewis alone sold 80, and they are planning future fundraisers.
The Explorers have been practising for their trek by hiking in the Lake District when they camped and then had to navigate their way over a mountain.
The Explorer Belt is a challenge of a lifetime offering participants the chance to take part in a 10-day expedition to bring them a real understanding of a different country, its culture and way of life.
They have to keep a log book of the trek, note places visited and project work they undertake and their own personal thoughts on the expedition.
Caption
Explorer Scout Lewis Nixon who will be taking part in a 100-mile expedition across Finland.