Deployment for Adventure Challenge

Things will be a bit quiet on the blog for the next few days, while we get stuck into the Adventure Challenge but I'll try to update you all as soon as possible with news and pictures from all the groups. See you soon!

Opening Ceremonies

Today marks the end of the Projects for our Alpha groups; the tools are packed away, the last walls plastered and painted, the equipment ready to be placed on the mini-buses in the morning as we all head down to Kerala for the Adventure Challenge. Venturers and Project Managers alike said they were excited but nervous, and so they should be - the next week will be jam-packed full of fantastic games, challenges, activities and events!

While Fieldbase staff packed up all the equipment in Mysore, ready to relocate our base for the week ahead, a few of us spent the day with Alpha One and Two as special guests at their opening ceremonies. There was music, speeches, presentations of gifts and floral garlands and then more speeches! It was fantastic to hear such warm words of thanks and kindness from our project partners and members of the communities where the groups have been living and working for the past three weeks.

All groups have been working extremely hard to finish their projects in such a short space of time and they can feel really proud of everything they have achieved. Here are some photos from today's events...

Alpha Two - Hediyala Rainwater Harvesting

The event opened with a Kannada song


The girls looking lovely in their sarees

Iona and Ali give a word of thanks...

and a present to Mr Dasegowda, RC Manager

Completed rainwater harvesting tanks

Country Director Gavin Shelton adds to the artwork

Charlotte and Jess

Time for cake and tea...




Alpha One - Sollepura Community Centre

The ceremony continued despite the rain
Medics Yvette and Jane
Dani and JP prepare for their speech

All are presented with a floral garland

The Loop-the-Loop to the Alpha Groups

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning myself (Suzee the photographer) and the Assistant Logs Manager Ian dragged ourselves from the warmth and coziness of our beds into the Raleigh car to set off on our Loop visit of all 3 Alpha groups.

Or first stop was at Alpha 3’s Environmental worksite where we realized that we had left all the creature comforts of Field Base behind. On arrival to the worksite I got to work taking lots of pics and recorded some video footage.

Ian had the work boots and gloves on and jumped straight into work on the site. The building of the Anti Poaching Camp was coming along a treat and the team were working extremely well alongside the local masons. We stayed in the Inspection Bungalow that evening and Alpha 3 cooked up a mini feast for us.

Not too early a start the next morning we were back on the road again and on our way to Nanjangood where we stopped to have a look at the temple and have tea. We carried on through the beautiful rural countryside where the roads may be bumpy but are lined with banyan trees and fields of sunflowers.

Alpha 2 Project Managers gave us a tour of the 25 rain water harvesting units in the village and we got to meet the different teams working with the families and locals. At lunch time the group descended on the community centre where a delicious curry lunch is provided local cooks. Just as we were about to depart again for an afternoon of hard work the monsoon rains kicked in.

Some local village members and masons took this opportunity to entertain us with singing, dancing and wheel barrow racing! Eventually the rain stopped so the fun was postponed and it was back to work. I also visited the school which was definitely an experience like no other – we sang songs with the children and 2 venturers were there to do English lessons with them.

Once the camera appeared I was completely mobbed but loved it just as much as all the kids. That evening we joined a cricket match with the community and later we all sat around a campfire where the group presented us with a cake to welcome us to their new home in Hediyala.

On the road again we were off to Alpha 1 where we were greeted by a hectic scene of building on the worksite and small groups working on their enteries for the fashion show they were putting on that evening. There was a fit of excitement as PM Rich built a runway and stage lit up by our cars headlights.

All the villagers lined both sides of the runway to watch the show. The local children sang songs as we waited for the show to begin and afterwards the local villagers and the Raleigh group sang songs and danced. As our Finance Manager Lorraine doubled as a Project Manager for the first 2 weeks of the phase she had to say her goodbyes to the group and the villagers.

Another early start Friday morning we packed up all of our gear and returned to Fieldbase just in time for the morning meeting where it was back to business as usual – well as usual as it can be here in India on a Raleigh Expedition!!!:)

Leaving, on a jet plane...

Our Welling School group caught their flight back to London in the early hours of this morning, after a fantastic 3 weeks on Raleigh. Despite the heat, rain, exhaustion (and leeches) they all said they'd had an amazing experience.

Team Alpha Four!

They can all return home with a great sense of achievement, having completed their community project in the village of Kandegala in record time and battling their way through the Adventure Challenge in a rather wet and muddy Kerala!

All of us at Fieldbase have been tremendously impressed with their enthusiasm and determination. They have made a real impact on the community at Kandegala and worked extremely well as a team to achieve an enormous amount together in a very short space of time.

Well done Alpha Four!

Meanwhile the other Alpha groups are coming to the end of their Project Phases and will soon be heading down to Kerala themselves to take part in their own Adventure Challenge. The Fieldbase team have been busily preparing for the week ahead and there are plenty of challenges, events and activities, which will continue to remain a secret for now...

Here's a quick update on all the groups:

Alpha One

have finished construction on the site and are plastering the walls of the Community Centre in preparation for the grand opening ceremony on Tuesday. On Friday they said goodbye to Project Manager Lorraine, who has now returned to Fieldbase to catch up on all our finances before we depart on the Adventure Challenge. The whole village gathered together on her final evening and Raleigh participants provided entertainment in the form of a fashion show.

Alpha Two

enjoyed a trip out yesterday despite the rainy weather. All 25 rainwater harvesting systems are built, plastered and whitewashed. As they await the arrival of the plumbing parts, they too are preparing for their opening ceremony to be held on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the end of the project.

Alpha Three

have finished installing the roof on the anti-poaching camp and were busy putting last touches to the plastering and flooring this morning, before heading out to the local town of Chamrajanagar for a day of sightseeing and shopping!

Alpha Group Updates

Alpha One

The group have been working hard on the Community Centre and have now almost completed building the walls. There is a fashion show planned for this evening, so they will be preparing their costumes today. Daily cooking lessons and teaching English in the local school continues.

Alpha Two

They were up early again this morning for their wake-up swim before heading out to the worksites. Only two water-harvesting tanks are left to build now, so they will continue with construction today and have plans to swim again this evening and eat lots of cake from the local bakery as a treat.

Alpha Three

Despite rain and mud yesterday, the team have finished all the walls on the anti-poaching camp building and, weather permitting, will begin with the roof and digging the elephant-proof trench today around the camp, with the help of a large JCB!

Alpha Four

Our Welling School group were suffering from the rain last night but said they were all in great spirits, having completed the first day of their Adventure Challenge. They had cycled an impressive 30 kilometres before setting up their overnight camp. It was an early start for them this morning, as they left for a day of trekking!

Messages from Alpha Three

Alpha Three have been storming ahead with their anti-poaching camp in the BRT Hills. After finishing the foundations to the building, yesterday they had managed to build up to a height of 3 layers of breezeblock all the way around, as well as finishing the door fitting!

After all this hard work it was declared that they would be preparing a feast of a dinner for themselves that evening, once they had sent out the following messages to you all back home...

Sarah, Mhari and Ella

Hello everyone! Hope you are all well. Having a fantastic time here. Sorry I forgot to sort out your birthday present Dad! Lots of Love, Ella xxx

Hello to Mummy, Daddy and everyone at home. Having an amazing time, working hard, sweating hard and laughing loads. I’m still all together – no major accidents lol. Fingers still in place. Love to everyone. Sarah xxx.

Arun and Ice

Hi my lovely families and Raleigh friends in Hong Kong. I’m now building up an anti poaching camp in an Indian National Reserve. No phone or internet but having fun. Smiles & lots of time for thinking. I’m ok and no worry. Take care! Ice Tang – Hong Kong (India)

PMs - Sharon, Gill and Vijay

Hi All, Hope everyone is having as good a summer as me!! Great group, great project. Fantastic weather! Love Gill xxx.

Hello to Ma, Pa, Gavin, Danni, Mudo and everyone else at home. Having a great time – bucket showers are bliss after a hard days work at the project site, saw elephants in the wild and have many laughs – working with a bunch of great people. Take care, lots of love hugs and kisses, Sharon.

Bill, Ian and Mark P

Hi Folks, Hope everything is going good back home. Bet it’s pouring down! Having an ace time, too much to tell you – haha. Got a few postcards coming. Grew myself a moustache! Well Good! Missing everyone, missing Iron Bru and gasping for a pint. Tell Sandie I love her and I’m missing her loads! Mark Pryde xx

Hello everyone, Having a great time. Pleased I passed my exams so hopefully see you after the 10 weeks. I’ll speak to you when Raleigh finishes. Lots of Love, Bill. PS Hope Jamie hd a good birthday. x

Mhari, Amelia and Ian

Hello, managing to survive without my GHD’s! Having a great time. Loving India! Hope you’re all well, love Mhari.

Having a great time. Working and sweating lots! Embracing the dirt!!! Amelia

Message from the Country Director:

There have been a few recent blog messages relating to friends or parents having difficulty ringing through to venturers.

This is just one of the reasons why we strongly advocate that venturers leave their mobile phones either at home or with us at Fieldbase for safekeeping. All venturers declared that they deployed to their project sites without their personal mobile phones.

In terms of managing safety and communications on expeditions it is essential that communications only come through one channel – the mobile and satellite phones that we provide each Alpha group with. Raleigh has refined effective expedition’s communications procedures over the past 24 years and you can be assured we are 100% confident in our systems and the venturers have had all had the operational theory behind these systems fully explained to them during their training.

In an age where we have become increasingly reliant on being in constant contact with each other, we think that having a short break from the usual contact and pressures of everyday life is very healthy and all adds to the rich experience of being on an expedition. We place a lot of emphasis on team work and developing a positive environment for some fairly magical group dynamics to take place. If individuals are in regular contact with home through their personal mobiles it can really damage those group dynamics.

Any parents or friends who have been directly in contact with Raleigh venturers through their personal phones, please note that we will shortly be having a phone amnesty so that they can hand their phones back in for safekeeping so please know that this is the reason why direct contact with them may stop.

In the event that any family or friends need to contact a venturer urgently for whatever reason then this can be quickly managed by a call to Head Office in London 24hrs a day - 7 days a week using the contact numbers supplied to all venturers and we will contact the venturer directly for you.

We pass on your blog messages to the venturers very regularly so please do keep them coming – the venturers love it! We hope you enjoy hearing all the news through the blog and look forward to getting the full low-down from everyone when they return home full of stories.

As you can see, the groups are all doing extremely well on their project sites and they all have good reason to be very proud of their achievements.

Warm regards,
Gavin Shelton

Alpha Four Messages Home:

We had a quick update from Alpha yesterday, here are their messages to you all back home…

We have finished the toilets in record time – 16 in 6 days! We are all just relaxing now before our trek and cycle. Tim gave us a talk about all the equipment we will need to take with us for the Adventure Challenge and then we had to pack up the school where we've been staying in Kandegala village. Here are some pictures from the Opening Ceremony we had in the village on Friday:

Ruby: The food’s fine and having such a laugh – love you!
Dane: Good time with quality group. Love ya.
Doona: having such a great time. Mr August in the boy’s calendar.
Charlie: Happy Birthday sis. Hope you’re alright. Having a great time.

Hi, having a great time. See you soon, love Josh. x
Hi, it’s great out here. Missing you everyone! Love Han. x
Hello! Miss you all. Be home next Monday. Love Megan. x

Hi all, miss you lots. See ya soon. Love Adam
Bella: This is an amazing experience. Missing all you doufuses. x
Happy Birthday Mum. Having a good time. Back soon, love Jamie. x
Noller: Having a good time, missing you and decent food. Love ya. x

Miss you loads. Love you. Having an amazing time. Ellis.
Remember to pick me up! Missing you lots, love Harry
Having great time, missing you lots. Love from Connor
Miss you all. Very hungry. Love ya, miss ya, kiss ya. Chelsea

Mitch: Having fantastic time, hope you’re ok. See you soon. x
Sophie P: Can you pick me up at airport at 12:30 on 28th July?
Lowe: Missing you all and Doctor Pepper. See you soon
Natalie: Having good time, miss you all. Happy Birthday Lou. x

The last update is in...

News from Alpha Two

By Project PRO Ali Johnston

As you are reading this we are probably relaxing on our balcony enjoying a candlelit dinner while watching the sun sink peacefully into the distance. Due to our new celebrity status in the village we have been moved into a “luxurious” hotel complete with electricity, toilets and showers (crucial for Sanjay’s rigorous morning grooming).

The balcony has become a central meeting point, where we eat breakfast and dinner as well as hosting glamorous parties such as Nick’s birthday where we munched on chocolate cake baked by the local patisserie and were entertained with a talent show complete with some crazy Bollywood dancing from Sundara.

However, it has not been all fun and games as we have been working extremely hard on our rainwater harvesting systems - in total we have started work on approximately 20 of the 25 sites.

Worksite - the foundations of a rainwater harvesting tank

Alpha Two meeting with the village

Often after work we will play cricket, where we are mobbed by our fans (children). Out of the three games we have played with the locals, we have managed to draw two: this is mainly down to Sanjay who has achieved half of our total score. Afterwards we will wander downtown, again mobbed by children, where Elisha has bought out most of the saree shops and Gary drinks so much Fanta, the general stores get in a delivery especially for him.

Raleigh vs Hediyala

Getting to know the local children - Jess and Medic Nix

Sundara, Sanjay and Elisha with women from Hediyala

Nick - working on his birthday!

Jess and Sophie have had their heads shaved by the local barber for the equivalent of 25p and, judging by the amount of people staring through the window, it was the most exciting event to happen in Hediyala for years.

At the end of a long day (providing Madoc remembers the phone) a few of us like to take a refreshing dip in the nearby lake. We are currently involved in a tough training routine for synchronized swimming, and at this rate we will make the 2012 Olympics. The lake is a truly beautiful place with its calm lapping waters, lush green plantations and the daily sightings of a naked local Indian washing himself.

Swim at Sunset

Much love, Alpha Two!

News from Alpha Four

Alpha Four have now sucessfully completed all their eco-sanitation units in the village of Kandegala! No rest for them yet however - in between trips to the reservoir for a swim, they have been keeping themselves busy painting a mural on the local school.

Yesterday our Programme Administrator, Pam joined Country Director Gavin Shelton on a trip out to visit Alpha for the opening ceremony to celebrate the end of the project.

We should be recieving a full update from Alpha Four themselves tomorrow, with all the news about how the expedition is going for them so far. In the meantime, please see below for some pictures of the group at work and at play...

Visiting Mysore Palace
One of the eco-sanitation units

Quick game of cricket

Project Manager Tim with Hannah

Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,
demonstrated by Project Manager Sally and Ellis

A completed Eco-Sanitation Unit!

Alpha Three News Update

17th July

After our meeting with Dr Raju, Alpha Three were keen to get on the Project Site. We set off on Tuesday morning excited to see what awaited us! En route in our mini-bus we were lucky enough to see two elephants passing by near our project site. This added to the group's excitment and spurred us on for the hard days work ahead!

Team Alpha Three

We spent our first day digging at our new anti-poaching camp. Prior to work commencing we were able to see a blessing of the worksite take place - this was another opportunity to witness Indian culture. Digging the trench was difficult but gave us a huge sense of achievemnet at the end of our first day.

Day Two on the project site: a slightly tired Alpha Three led by Day Leader Ronald made their way to project site. The day was spent finishing digging the trench and laying the foundations.

Day Leader Ronald in action

Day Three on project: We spent today filing in the hole we made on the previous two days - this was a real challenge for Alpha Three; we were required to lift "big jelly stones". However, with a little help from our new friends the local masons (including Manju "The Machine") we were able to get through this challenge!

Manju and Ice
Hard working hands

Other challenges at the worksite include the collection of water: we have to walk to the river to get buckets of water for the cement. Alpha Three have excelled themselves in team work by forming work chains to pass heavy loads in an effective manner.

After a hard morning of work, there is always one thing you can look forward to on project site... LUNCH!

Alpha One News Update

By Project PRO Jean-Paul

Upon arrival in Sollepura the monsoon introduced us to the village. Everybody was anxious to see the houses we had been allocated. We all settled in pretty well apart from the fact that there was a swarm of "killer bees" outside house 2. I have never seen Carl run so fast. We sat around with the locals and introduced ourselves. They sang for us and Nikita gave them a crazy Ukrainian dance.

Morning time came and everyone looked like they had broken their backs, due to the concrete floors for sleeping on. A few of the team had started to dig compost pits because we were waiting for the cement on the roof of the Community Centre to dry.

Carl, Richard and J.P. headed off into town (HD Kote) to get a few practical tools, they also had a sneaky cup of tea in the cafe. When they arrived back in the village, Mark had completed the long drop - what an achievement!

On the third day we all played a game of volleyball with the locals; they are pretty good and so is Rosie. After the game we went to the communal house and played some weird mind games - Lorraine's idea! Mariyan and Holly were the first to have a cooking lesson while J.P. and Alistair went to teach English to the kids in the local school.

Day Five was the real test - work at the Community Centre began. Everyone participated and really enjoyed getting their hands dirty. In the early evening we had two visitors for the night: John and Yadaf, from Cap Gemini, along with Country Director, Gavin and PRO Rosie. Mariyan spoke about Sri Lanka before dinner and J.P. recited some pretty powerful poetry.

Day Six was lovely - the sun had been defeated by the power of the monsoon. Dani, Alistair, Holly and Mark all had a natural shower outside in the rain, after a day of hard work.

Last night we had a dance off with the village, the dance routines and songs were hilarious.

Kandegala Village Eco-Sanitation Project

Alongside our Raleigh India 08F expedition, 20 young people from Welling School in Bexley, London have been taking part in a mini-Raleigh programme in Kandegala - a hamlet in Sagare Grama Panchayat in H.D. Kote Taluk of Mysore District, Karnataka. The Raleigh group is working with fifteen families who currently do not have access to basic hygienic sanitation in order to construct individual eco-sanitation units (or composting toilets) for each family. The project will improve villagers’ health through better sanitation and access to safe drinking water in the community.

Welling School’s trip has been facilitated by youth volunteering charity ‘v’ and London Challenge – the government scheme to improve under-performing secondary schools in greater London.

Along with two Project Managers, Tim Berriman and Sally Jupp and two teachers from Welling School, Phil Scott and Zara Flynn, this team makes up “Alpha Four”.

Alpha Four:

Sophie Baird
Natalie Beasley
Adam Blackmore
Jamie Blyth
Joshua Colmy
Charlie Cooley
Megan Dobson
Samuel Doona
Chelsea Fullbrook
Isabella Goss
Harry Norris
Sam Noller
Hannah Moore
Ellis Knowles
Jack Lowe
Sophie Parker
Dane Pearce
Ruby Purcell
Connor Robson
Mitchell Thurbin

The group have been working hard to complete the intensive project of 15 eco-sanitation units in just 10 days, so on Sunday they were treated to a cultural trip to Mysore, where Raleigh India’s Fieldbase is located. The trip included a visit to the local flower market and famous Maharaja’s Palace, where once a week the building is lit up with over 9,800 lights – a truly spectacular site.

Early Monday morning, the team headed back to Kandegala and straight to the worksite. They reported yesterday evening that despite the heat of the day, they were busy plastering their toilets and will continue to build up the others and put roofs on in the next few days.

Next Monday they will transfer to Kerala, where they will take part in the exciting and arduous Adventure Challenge – more details to follow!

We will try to get you some photos of the group’s progress as soon as possible. Thanks for their messages– we’ll pass any more straight on to them over the radio.

Alpha Three to the Elephant Corridor!

By Project PROs Mark Pryde and Mhari Renwick

Alpha Three are now starting work on a new anti-poaching camp after a hectic but enjoyable first couple of days. After a change of project site due to the fact that our original site was overrun by elephants, Jungle Speed, led by Vijay, Gill and Sharon spent Saturday and Sunday discovering the communities and wildlife of majestic Southern India.

On Saturday the group arrived in Muda Malai, Tamil Nadu where we were greeted by members and friends of CTRG - a group run by Vijay’s dad that helps various tribal groups in the local area. We all agreed that it was a once in a lifetime moment as we were shown about the local tribal village.

The next day there was no let up on adventure as we went on a safari where we saw bison, deer and wild elephants. We then went to an elephant sanctuary where we witnessed the local workers carrying branches for feeding. We all had an amazing time but feel ready to start work after our unfortunate delay.

Keep an eye out for photos from Alpha Three's trip - we should be able to collect and upload some at the end of this week...

Pre-Deployment Thoughts:

A Message home from Alpha 3's Project Photographer Vicki Bull:

To Mum, Dad, Robert, all the family and everyone at work.

Hello from India! Having a really good time, having curry and rice for every meal is getting a bit boring though. Held a snake during our induction training and saw a cobra. Went for an 8km trek and climbed 1100 steps with all my kit to get to a temple. It was hard work but well worth it. Off into the National Park for 18 days working with WWF, building an anti poaching camp. Fingers crossed we’ll see elephants and possibly tigers. We will be very isolated there so hopefully write again when I get back. Hope you are all Ok, see you soon.
Vicky.

The following message was written by one of our international venturers, Ice Tang, from Hong Kong, having completed the venturer training trek on Friday 11th July.

Trek Training
By Ice Tang

I’ve just completed the trekking to one of the Hindu Temples in Mysore. Waking up at 5 o’clock and climbing up the more that 1,100 steps, we saw a beautiful scenery of the city of Mysore at the top. We also met lots of Indians who were kind and very eager to communicate with foreigners. They were painting some red and yellow powder on each step to pray. We will be deployed to our projects tomorrow. Looking forward to it and having great fun!

Ice with Bill and Sundara

The Venturers Deploy

After the excitement of Venturer induction, Fieldbase has now become rather quiet and empty again, as yesterday all three alpha groups departed for their project sites. A good hearty breakfast set them up for the day ahead, while bags and equipment were piled up to be packed onto their individual minibuses.

Alpha Two

Alpha One on the bus, ready to depart

A rather excited Alpha 3

There were many goodbyes as new friends in separate alpha groups will not see each other for the next three weeks when the Adventure Challenge begins. The two stowaways on Alpha One's bus, (myself and Nix) managed to go undetected by the PMs, but felt it best to stop the bus before it left the Fieldbase compound.

Alpha One and Two have safely arrived at their project sites in Sollepura and Hediyala, while Alpha Three had an added surprise yesterday, when they were told that rather than head straight to their site in the BRT Hills, they were instead going to Thengumarahada, one of India’s best elephant corridors! More details to follow.

We'll soon be recieving reports from our 'Project PROs (Press Relations Officers) who have the task of keeping us here at Fieldbase up-to-date with all the news, progress and gossip from their alpha group. Our Project Photographers have also been given the task of providing us with some great alpha group shots which we'll post here.

Thanks for all your messages to the Venturers, we'll be taking any new ones with us when Fieldbase staff head out on the 'Loop' trips.

That's all for now!

Project Allocations

Today was the big day; all our Venturers now know which Alpha group they will be in and where they will be heading for the project phase of the expedition. Read on to see who is going where…

Alpha One – Sollepura Community Project
Project Managers: Rich, Lorraine and Lila


Alistair Macloed
Alyx Barker
Carl Elcombe
Claire Seagers
Danielle Ralph
Gurunath
Holly McEwan
Jean-Paul Epstein
Katie Williams
Mark Barrie
Mariyan Perera
Nikita Predtechensky
Rosie Gordon

Alpha Two – Hediyala Community Project
Project Managers: Sophie and Madoc


Alex Muncey
Alistair Johnston
Charlotte Corsan
Elisha Mulvaney
Fanny Cheuk
Gary Young
Hannah Pendleton
Jess Horsman
Iona Pawson
Nick Rackham
Sundara
Sanjaya Philadeniya

Alpha Three – BRT Hills Environmental Project
Project Managers: Sharon, Vijay and Gill

Amelia Burns
Arun Franklin
Bill Dwyer
Ella Neil
Ian Mann
Ice Tang
Leisha Roberts
Mark Pryde
Mhari Renwick
Ronald Grant
Sarah Crombie
Vicki Bull

Trek Training Day Two

Tired and with slightly aching feet, the Venturers arrived at their campsite early yesterday afternoon. Alpha Three were the first to arrive, and so were able to choose the best spot for their camp. As the other groups began to arrive into the camp area, I left the teams to set up their camps for the night. It was then over to the PMs who briefed the Venturers all about camp craft, including lighting fires, digging long drops and slops pits, building shelters and some basic first aid training.

Here are some photos of the groups before they left Fieldbase:

Alpha One

Alpha Two

Alpha Three

Time for a quick pep-talk from PM Madoc...

...and then they were off!

By the time Photographer Suze and I arrived towards dusk, the three groups had set up some fantastic camp areas and were busy lighting camp fires and sorting food ingredients to cook their evening meal. There was just enough time for a quick guided tour of each alpha group area, before a surprise visit from the famous Snake Shyam!

A few quickly moved themselves towards the back of the group, but others were brave enough to step forward to handle some of the harmless snakes in his collection, including a beautiful green Vine Snake. Once again the Spectacled Cobra stole the show, when it all got a bit too much for Nix, our Medic, who felt it was better to hide behind PM Sophie.

Not a late night for many; most were in bed before 10pm, although we’ve been told that it was a sleepless night for some. Nevertheless it was an early morning call into Fieldbase at 6am, as the groups prepared to pack up and leave camp to head out for their trek today. Once again Alpha Three were first to leave and head out on the route that would take them up (and down) the 1,100 steps to the top of Chamundi Hill.

We caught up with a few members of Alpha Three and One at the Temple on top of the hill, who had released themselves of their rucksacks for a brief period of sightseeing and shopping. Then right on time, Alpha Two came into view a few steps down.




“Tired, hot and sweaty,” seemed to be the general feeling from the group, but they were all in great spirits after their difficult climb. Once all had had a chance to relax a little, it was back down the hill again to arrive back at Fieldbase for a spot of lunch and the all important project allocations…

More Fieldbase Pictures

Here are some more images from our Venturer Induction at Fieldbase. This morning the groups packed up their rucksacks and after breakfast headed off for their trek training on a route that will take them around the bottom of Chamundi Hill here in Mysore.

We'll be catching up with them later today to see how they have got on with setting up their campsites where they will be staying overnight; giving our Project Managers a chance to talk them through some practical camp craft skills and good project site set-up and management.

The Venturers Arrive!

Fieldbase sprang into action this morning as the bus from Bangalore pulled up; filled with our 34 new venturers. They have come all the way from Hong Kong, Scotland, England, Ireland, the Ukraine and here in India from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Tomorrow we will also be expecting two other venturers from Sri Lanka. As they pilled out of the mini bus and heaved their rucksacks onto their backs, all were looking slightly bleary eyed and a few stretches and yawns were seen.

Once through the door they received some motivating welcomes and introductions, but it was lunch that saved the day; giving them all a burst of curry-fuelled energy that set them up for an afternoon of administration and swim tests before a few name game activities and a quick round of volleyball back at base.

The mosquito nets are up, the beds rolled out and mess tins are hanging on the hooks in the wash room again – It’s fantastic to see Fieldbase buzzing with energy, excitement and noise. The next few days will give our new participants a chance to learn about life on expedition, including trek training, camp craft, communications and cultural awareness; to find out more about the projects, where they will be based and what they will be doing for the next 3 weeks and more importantly it’ll be an opportunity to meet and get to know all the staff and venturers on Raleigh 08F!

It’s going to be a busy few days for us all here, until Venturers and their Project Managers deploy on Saturday 12th July in their soon to be announced Project “Alpha” groups, but I’ll be keeping you up-to-date with all the news and progress here in Mysore Fieldbase, so keep checking the blog regularly!

Already getting used to the famous Raleigh "three bowl system"...

We’d also like to welcome our three new members of Raleigh India staff: Nix Burwood, Fieldbase Medic; Suzanne Leamy, as Logistics Assistant (who I’m pleased to say will also be taking on the Photographer role) and Gill Wilson, who joined the team last Thursday as Project Manager for Alpha Three, on the BRT Hills Environmental Project.

Nix and Suze were both a bit camera shy today: don't worry, I'll catch them out tomorrow. Above is new PM Gill relaxing with Sophie

Snake Shyam

By Finance Manager, Lorraine Smart

Snake Shyam, a local snake expert came to Field Base with some rather interesting looking species of snake including a Sand Boa and a Spectacled Cobra for a presentation and talk giving us an insight into their worlds. There were some rather pale faces when the snakes were taken out from there respective boxes!!!

I had the opportunity to hold a vine snake, non-venomous I hasten to say which decided that it would go on an obstacle course through my bangles so I was literally tied to it.

The cobra was taken out of its box and there were many gasps and a lot of shuffling of feet where some of the staff team had quickly retreated to put more distance between them and it!

Did you know that a cobra will not actually bite you unless you step on it? None of us however, were prepared to test that theory out and took Snake Sham's word for it!

It's been a busy few weeks at Fieldbase in Mysore, but the Raleigh India 08F staff have now come to the end of their two weeks of training and preparation. We have learned all about navigation and expedition communications, received some excellent training in first aid theory and practice, been out and about to practice our trekking skills, visited our project sites, met the project partners and planned how the projects will run and so much more!

Our project managers have barely had a minute to themselves and yet we've made sure that their energy levels have been kept topped up with plenty of games and activities, (yesterday's obstacle course was a particular favourite).

Everywhere seems calm for now, but it won't be long until our Venturers arrive...

We are all now eagerly awaiting the arrival of our 40 participants from across the globe and then the expedition can really get started. We've got plenty planned for them over the next four days before they will be put into their alpha groups ready to head out to the three project sites.

Don't forget to post your comments or blog messages here and they will be delivered to our staff and venturers while they are here on expedition. To leave a message, click on 'comments' at the end of the blog post.

The Projects

The Raleigh Staff team are back from their Project Planning Visits and are all starting to get very excited about each of the three projects we have lined up for this expedition. Raleigh India 08F will have two community and one environmental projects and they all look fantastic. I caught up with our Project Managers for a quick low-down on all the projects, see below to find out more:

Alpha One
Sollepura Tribal Community Project

Project Manager Richard, with Finance Manager Lorraine

who assisted on the Project Planning Visit

The team:
Richard Davies – Raleigh India’s ‘Cheese Meister’. He’s got drive, energy and is fantastic fun.

Joining Richard will be another Project Manager, more details will follow, but it’s top secret for now…

Message to Venturers:
The biggest attraction to this project is the variety of activities you will be working on: teaching, construction, agriculture and more.

Introduction to the project:
This is more than your average project; rather than being focused on one task there will be many different activities going on in Sollepura. The main objective is to complete a Community Centre designed specifically to suit the needs of the community which will function as a meeting point for the village. It will also be used as a space for teaching and a place where the community self help affinity groups can meet and receive training in various things such as income generation activities.

What are the highlights to the project:
The main highlight will be living in the tribal village community and working alongside the people that live there. You will be working on a project that is really needed and will make a huge difference to the community.

The site for the Community Centre

What will be the biggest challenge:
The change in pace of life and leaving all your comforts behind; it’s basic living in Sollepura, with no electricity and a pump for water. There’s nowhere to charge your ipod here!

Don’t leave Fieldbase without:
A comfy thermarest or sleeping mat, games and sports equipment and a sense of humour.

What else will be happening on the Project:
Other possible project activities include working in the local school teaching English, building extensions on the existing houses and sowing seeds on the adjacent agricultural land.

Brief description of where you will be living:
Six uninhabited houses have been set aside for our use in the middle of the tribal village, Sollepura is in an isolated location on the top of a hill next to Nagarhole National Park where Raleigh worked on an environmental project last expedition. It is surrounded by agricultural land used by the village for farming.

Alpha Two
Hediyala Rainwater Harvesting Project

The team:
Sophie Broadhead – She’s organised, fun and loves to talk. And after doing this interview, we may need to add verbose to that list.

Madoc Threipland – He’s chatty, sociable and charming but will be focused on getting the job done.

Otherwise Known As:
Operation Monsoon

Message to Venturers:
As hard-core Indian village living goes, you couldn’t get any better. You’ll need energy, enthusiasm and a can-do attitude, but in return it’ll be a life enhancing experience as you’ll be working on a brilliant, worthwhile project.

Introduction to the project:
You will be building 25 rain water harvesting systems attached to 25 homes in Hediyala village. This will enable access to safe, clean drinking water and in the process reduce the costs for firewood for each family as they will no longer need to boil the water before use.

What are the highlights to the project:
Living in the village and hanging out with all the local people that live there, particularly the children. It’s also in a beautiful landscape, close to the forest with some amazing walking routes.

What will be the biggest challenge:
The amount of work – 25 units in 19 days will be an ambitious but achievable challenge.

Don’t leave Fieldbase without:
Flip-flops, your roll mat (for the hard floors), pockets on your trousers (as you’ll spend a lot of time shaking hands) and a camera.

What else will be happening on the Project:
Other planned activities include swimming in a nearby lake, playing with the children in the local school, getting to know everyone in the village and participating in sports competitions.

Brief description of where you will be living:
You will be living and working in the very heart of the village, eating local home-cooked food everyday. The village is in a rural location with a population of about 2-2,500 people. There are around 20 small stall shops for all your needs and a lot of cows!

Alpha Three
Iyyanapura Anti-Poaching Camp Project

The team:
Vijay Raju - He’s enthusiastic, thoughtful, an expert on Indian culture, a fantastic cook and the Jungle Speed Master.

Sharon Taylor – Simply super. She may be calm and quiet but once the challenge is clear, she springs into action.

An example of an anti-poaching camp

Otherwise Known As:
Jungle Speed!

Message to Venturers:
This is a unique project. We can guarantee that you will work hard and sweat lots, but you’ll have tons of fun and it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see an incredible variety of flora and fauna in a protected area of the National Park. You will be true guests in the animal kingdom.

Introduction to the project:
The aim is to construct an anti-poaching camp at Iyyanapura – a place where forest guards can safely stay and monitor this amazing protected area of the BRT Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. It will also help to improve communication between different stations within the forest. You will be working and living in a magnificent, beautiful and serene spot at the centre of a protected National Park.

The site for the anti-poaching camp

What are the highlights to the project:
The wildlife! Elephants, tigers, over a hundred different species of birds, deer, bears, snakes, guar…just to name a few. These will all be living literally on your doorstep. Plus the scenery in the BRT Hills is perhaps the best in the whole of Karnataka State.

What will be the biggest challenge:
The site for the Anti-Poaching camp is on top of a rocky hill., which will be a challenge for its construction. However, from the top you can see for miles around over the tree tops of the Park.

Don’t leave Fieldbase without:
Sunscreen and wet weather gear as you will be facing the elements, your swimsuit for a lunchtime swim in the reservoir and a camera and binoculars for all those animals you’ll see.

The Forest Guest House

Brief description of where you will be living:
You will be living in the very heart of the Park at the Forest Guest House, built in 1909 for the British Viceroy when accompanying the King on trips to the forest. Evenings will be spent cooking for the group and watching wild animals from the veranda. There is also a large front yard for games and activities and possible evening campfires.

What else will be happening on the Project:
Other possible activities may include: boat trip to the temple on the water at Surarnati Reservoir, safaris, learning about wildlife and India’s National Parks, visiting Asia’s best elephant corridor at Tengumarahada, trips to the bustling town of Chamarajanagar (including its fantastic bakery) and building jungle bashas.