Leeds Pupil Takes on the Challenge of a Lifetime

A Leeds pupil is walking more than 120 miles from Leeds to Liverpool so that he can take part in the challenge of a lifetime. Josh Townend, a 15 year old pupil at Fulneck School has been fundraising for his World Challenge Expedition trip to Cambodia and Thailand for the past six months and this effort is culminating in a Leeds to Liverpool canal-side walk. The walk is an impressive 128 miles and Josh will be accompanied by his Dad and is being joined by Dave Needham, Head of PE at Fulneck School, who will be rowing the distance in his canoe. They will be starting the expedition on Friday 22nd April and finishing on Monday 25th April, stopping at Skipton, Accrington and Wigan on the way. World Challenge offers educational expeditions which teach life skills including leadership, teamwork and motivation through both the bespoke itineraries and the planning and fundraising programmes. Josh said: “I will be spending two weeks in Cambodia with World Challenge, living among the local people and volunteering in an orphanage and then moving on to Thailand for a two week trek. I will be travelling with five other pupils from Fulneck School and several other students from a school in Northern Ireland. It is going to be an amazing adventure but one of the most important aspects is the fundraising beforehand. “In total the expedition will cost £3400, but my parents have been kind enough to pay £1500 if I can raise the rest! I have been busy washing cars, hosting a quiz night and selling raffle tickets but I’m hoping to raise even more by completing the Leeds to Liverpool walk.” Dave Needham said: “It’s great to be involved with Josh’s fundraising and the 128 miles is going to be a big challenge for all of us. Fulneck School always encourages its pupils to take part in extra curricular activities and all staff endeavour to support them in every way.” Trevor Kernohan, Principal of Fulneck School, said: “World Challenge is viewed by employers as one of the most important activities pupils can undertake at school and we are very proud of Josh for putting in an incredible amount of effort into his fundraising activities. “The group from Fulneck School will be taking part in hugely important community work which includes renovating schools and building basic amenities for the local people. At the school we support our pupils to be independent and to strive to reach their goals and Josh is a shining example of this. We wish him the best of luck for his sponsored walk.” If you would like to sponsor Josh visit http://challenge-josh.org.uk/ for further information. To find out more about Fulneck School, visit www.fulneckschool.co.uk or contact the Marketing Manager, Susanna Domeniconi on 0113 257 0235. ENDS Issued on behalf of Fulneck School by Adessi For more information contact Laura Coyne at Adessi on Tel: (0113) 256 9999 Fax: (0113) 256 9989 Email: laura.coyne@adessi.co.uk Notes to Editors: Fulneck School is a leading co-educational independent day and boarding school based in Pudsey, Leeds, West Yorkshire, with approximately 430 pupils. Education starts at Lambs’ Hill Nursery (3-5 years) and continues through Junior School (5-11 years), Senior School (11-16 years) and Sixth Form (16+ years). Although well known as an excellent centre of education, Fulneck School is about much more than just examination results and academic ability. The school strives to emphasise the value of each individual by encouraging the development of intellectual, creative, physical and spiritual qualities both in and outside the classroom. In its latest Inspection Report (December 2010) conducted by the Independent Schools’ inspectorate, Fulneck School was judged in over two-thirds of the assessed criteria as excellent, outstanding or exceptional and the remainder were all classified as good. Fulneck School is the top independent Sixth Forms in Leeds on average ‘A’ level points per candidate, as shown by Government data reported by the BBC on 12th January 2011. Fulneck Sixth Form achieved an outstanding position in relation to the 50 Sixth Forms in the Leeds area and to other independent schools or high-performing maintained schools in the region. For more information about the school, its values, ethos and tradition and to view the full inspection report visit: www.fulneckschool.co.uk.

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