IVYBRIDGE MAN ON EXPEDITION FOR DAME HANNAH'S

Ivybridge adventurer Chris Willcox has set himself his biggest ever challenge to travel overland from

Chris has taken time out from his economics course at Cardiff University to take on this challenge. The first leg of his journey is a bus ride from London to Warsaw and he will then rely on buses and trains to travel to the Soviet Union and on to China. The entire trip will be by land and sea except for one necessary flight from Hong Kong to Manila in the Philippines from where he will fly home.

Minutes before leaving on his trip, Chris came to visit Dame Hannah’s and told everyone, "I decided to do this trip because the travelling I have done up until now has been very safe and I wanted a bigger challenge and to experience extreme temperatures such as in Siberia. I am particularly looking forward to the Trans Siberian railway and the massive frozen lake at Irkutsk. I chose Dame Hannah`s as my charity as I know people who have worked there. It represents the goodness of Ivybridge and no other charity comes close to it. Mark Holt from Trail Outdoor of Ivybridge has been extremely generous by supplying me with clothes and equipment and has given me much needed advice. I definitely couldn’t have done the trip without Mark’s help as I was completely out of my depth".

Mark Holt and his partner Nigel Brindley set up Trail Outdoor in Ivybridge two months ago. They provide outdoor enthusiasts with the best range of outdoor products available as well as offering advice. Having been in the Royal Marines for fourteen years Mark is more than qualified to give advice on both clothing and expeditions. Trail Outdoor also offers outdoor courses and sports massage and therapy.

Mark added "Chris popped into the shop one day and clearly needed help and we felt that we wanted to pass on our advice and were happy to provide him with kit. We are keen for Trail Outdoor to be not just a shop but a place where people can come and chat to us and ask advice. We are also keen to support Dame Hannah’s as it is our local charity and my wife has visited the young people there in a professional capacity".

Phil Lloyd, head of supporter relations at Dame Hannah`s said "We are delighted that Chris has chosen to support Dame Hannah`s on his big expedition and we are so grateful to have so much support from the local community. It means a lot to both the young people and staff at Dame Hannah’s".

Everyone at Dame Hannah’s wishes Chris the best of luck on his adventures!