A teenager in Frome has been litter picking around the town to raise funds for an Arctic expedition in Finland this year.
Iris Errington-Deamer, aged 14, is due to embark on their first trip away without family on a week-long expedition to Finland with a group of 20 other home-educated young people aged 11 to 15.
To raise funds, Iris has been litter picking in the community and is asking residents to sponsor them in their efforts.
“I don’t want any animals to get injured by litter and it looks horrible,” said Iris. “I’m going to go out every week in Frome.
“I am feeling nervous about the trip but I’m excited to learn things I’ve always been interested in but not had the opportunity to do, like ice fishing, husky sledding and bushcraft survival skills like building snow shelters.
“I’m also hoping to spot Arctic animals like lynx and elk and take photos of the night sky – there’s a chance I might see the northern lights. I’ll hopefully get to sauna lots too, which I love.
“I’ve had some struggles with my neurodiversity but the people running the trip are really supportive and experienced. The trip will be tough physically with lots of hiking in the cold that I’m training for and I’ll miss my family and friends, but I hope it will help me be more confident and resilient. It would be nice to make friends with the other homeschooled kids on the trip too and there’s a practice weekend camp in January where I’ll get to meet them.”
To support Iris, visit the Crowdfunder page https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/iris-arctic-adventure
