Fraser and I have been volunteering with the Duke of Edinburgh award for 10 years plus now. The charity with whim we work Friends of the Award (FOTA) are struggling for funds. Without FOTA there will be no easily accessible well stocked kit store, no centralised co-ordination of expedition places and leaders, no funded courses for volunteer leaders...impacting the ease of the expedition section for all in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The work that FOTA do for marginalised young people, those in care and young careers will also be impacted.
On the weekend of 7-8 of Feb I will join FOTA staff and undertake a bronze DofE hike. I haven't walked that far since pre Angus. To make it more of a challenge, and to demonstrate how much we want FOTA to exist for the next generation we are taking Angus and Duncan with us.
As this event is now in the past, we know that Angus did not make it, but Duncan and I did!