Elizabeth Ellis - World Challenge Presentation

World Challenge Morocco - Elizabeth Ellis

Elizabeth Ellis who is a 6^th form pupil at Toot Hill School came to give us a presentation on her trip to Morocco with a team on a World Challenge Programme.

Elizabeth firstly thanked our Club for sponsoring her for the trip which involved her raising some £1900 to cover the costs. In addition to our sponsorship she raised funds with various making and selling activities at car boot sales and also employment as help at Elections and the EU referendum.

 Since part of the trip involved a trek in the Atlas Mountains the team undertook a programme of fitness training before the trip. Elizabeth took part in a swimathon which raised funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care as part of her training. 

 Elizabeth said the trip commenced with a flight to Marrakesh where the team spent a day experiencing the differences in culture in Morocco. She was surprised how different it was from Europe being only a short flight away and in the same time zone as the UK.

Having travelled on family holidays to locations in Europe this was the first time she had experienced a predominantly Islamic country and found the contrasts quite stark.

 The team then travelled to the town of Taroudant where they were engaged in a community project for several days. They carried out the refurbishment and improvement of the changing facilities at a local school which involved practical work as well as sourcing of materials from local suppliers.  The project had to be carried out within a budget and the team were responsible for bartering with local suppliers for the materials they needed- yet another new experience.

 Their final week was devoted to a trek in the Atlas Mountains which proved to be something of a challenge due to the terrain and the hot sunshine.  Camping in some great spots in the mountains they slept under the stars some nights. Upon encountering a herd of Goats, the team leader suggested they could kill one and BBQ it for dinner. Despite Elizabeth’s opposition a vote of the team decided to do this and BBQ Goat was duly served.

A final day in Marrakesh brought the trip to an end with great memories of new experiences.            ST