Two school friends from Downside School in Somerset are hoping to be the youngest adventurers to complete a full crossing of Iceland on foot, to raise money for international charity Mary’s Meals. William White and James Hobbs, both 17, started out from the island’s southernmost point earlier this month (Wednesday July 3) and hope to arrive at their end point in the north by August 1, having covered a total of 372 miles (600km).
According to records held by the National Geographic Society, if successful, William and James will be the first to complete a full crossing of Iceland before they’re even old enough to celebrate with a glass of champagne. They are taking on the walk alone and carrying all their own equipment. The pair took advice from another young adventurer and shipped two extra food packages over in advance — holding ten days’ supplies each — to stash in warden’s cabins along the route.
Top UK adventurer Mark Beaumont, famous for his long-distance cycling achievements, recognised their fundraising efforts with this personal message: “A full crossing of Iceland is a tenacious challenge for the most experienced adventurers and so it is certainly a bold and wonderful ambition for two teenagers. I wish William and James my very best wishes for a successful crossing and to carry on inspiring others.”
The boys — who have just finished lower sixth form at Downside, an independent, Catholic boarding school — were inspired to raise funds for Mary’s Meals after being shown a film called Child 31, which features the work of the charity. Mary’s Meals sets up school feeding programmes in some of the world’s poorest communities where hunger and poverty prevent children gaining an education. Mary’s Meals currently provides a meal every school day for over three quarters of a million children in 16 countries, to address the immediate needs of a hungry child by giving them something to eat, and to enable that child to receive the education that can offer an escape from poverty. The average global cost to feed a child for a whole school year is just £10.70.
Daniel Adams, Head of Fundraising at Mary’s Meals, said: “We are extremely grateful to William and James for helping us reach more children with Mary’s Meals. Our work to feed the world’s poorest children in the most deprived countries every day they attend school would not be possible without the generosity of our supporters, who hail from all over the world.
You can tracks the boys progress across Iceland at William and James’s progress page and if you’d like to help their fundraising efforts for Mary’s Meals go to their donation page
RELATED LINKS
www.marysmeals.com