April 09

Around The World in 1,460 Days…Solo!

Ken Roberts, a passionate advocate and supporter of The Outward Bound Trust, is embarking on a four year adventure that will see him fulfilling a life long dream to cycle solo around the world. Inspired by his own experiences at The Outward Bound Trust, Ken will be raising money and awareness for the charity as he goes.

Ahead of his departure, Ken will be visiting The Outward Bound Trust's various centres across the UK from the 28th April through to the 14th May, in an attempt to raise awareness of his quest. During each visit, Ken will meet staff from the centre and spend time talking to young people who are participating in Outward Bound courses. Ken is cycling from centre to centre, building up his bike fitness before heading off on his 'Across Continents' ride on 2nd September.

The Lancashire born cyclist will be using £50,000 of his own money to fund the four year journey, with the hope that he will receive assistance for any provisions he may need. Aiming to raise in the region of £45,000 for The Outward Bound Trust, Ken also hopes his efforts will encourage others to realise their own potential through outdoor adventure.

Ken Roberts comments:
"The real challenge for the years ahead is the ability to solve problems - as diverse as finding enough food to sustain the physical effort, to simply driving myself forward in the face of adversity.  There is strong resonance between what I am setting out to do, and the values and teachings I gleaned from my own experiences with The Trust."

Nick Barrett, chief executive of The Outward Bound Trust, comments:
"Ken Roberts is an inspirational individual. His life was shaped by his experiences on an Outward Bound course and now he is finding a way to realise his dreams. I am sure his story will enthral the young people he meets in our Aberdovey centre. Everyone at The Outward Bound Trust is very grateful for the fundraising efforts he is making on our behalf and we look forward to following his successful progress around the world."

Ken Roberts will visit The Outward Bound Trust's Aberdovey centre on 28th April and will be available for photography and interviews.  Full details of his plans can be found at www.acrosscontinents.org.

ends

For more information contact Chris Lines
(cl@pressahead.info) or Louise Robinson (lr@pressahead.info) of Press Ahead, on 0191 516 6235, (07971) 868 329 or (07950) 831 896

Notes to Editors:

• The Outward Bound Trust is an educational charity, established more than 65 years ago to boost personal learning and development through a programme of challenging activities in the outdoors. The Outward Bound Trust is the original and leading facilitator of experiential learning in the outdoors.
• The charity runs courses and expeditions in the UK for young people aged 11-24. Courses last from 3 days to three weeks (www.outwardbound.org.uk).
• Outward Bound® for young people is delivered at four residential centres across the UK – Ullswater and Howtown in The English Lake District, Loch Eil in Scotland and Aberdovey in Wales – and through the Metro project (urban) in Glasgow and Scotland’s Central Belt (www.outwardbound.org.uk/Education/Downloads).
• The Outward Bound Trust also facilitates Apprentice Development and currently works with some of the UK’s largest companies on their apprentice programmes.
• In 2008, over 26,000 young people benefited from an Outward Bound® experience. Almost half of these participants were financially supported by bursaries raised by The Outward Bound Trust through private donations and in conjunction with its corporate partners, as part of the Patron’s Company scheme.
• The charity also works with volunteer groups across the UK called Outward Bound® Associations, whose members have mostly experienced Outward Bound®, and they source participants from local schools in their areas and help fundraise for their courses. These volunteers include Youth Reps, fresh from their Outward Bound® experience, who provide advice and support for other youngsters (see www.myspace.com/outwardbounduk).
• The organisation runs a professional development centre for adults at Eskdale in The Lake District, called Outward Bound® Professional.

Ken Roberts will be visiting the following Outward Bound Centres before his departure:

• Aberdovey on 28th April (pm), Ullswater 7th May (midday) and Loch Eil on 12th May (pm).