The BCU Expeditions Committee consists of experienced British expedition paddlers with a range of specialisms and interests. The committee has always been made up of active paddlers with a good network of friends around the world and a wealth of knowledge built up over the years. Full details of the Committee's work can be found here.
In the days when the Committee was first formed, expeditions were rarer, more formal and often planned and prepared over the winter by paddlers before they set off to attempt their expedition some months later. Now-a-days expeditions tend to be a group of friends who select a destination - Nepal say - and when they hear a few words from fellow travellers and they are off to some new run that has opened up. A rush round the shops and a dash to the bus station and the expedition has happened. No one really calls these trips "Expeditions" more often they are referred to as "Missions".
So what direction for the Expeditions Committee? In recent years, the majority of applications the committee has received have been "gap year" students doing Operation Raleigh or similar organised trips which include some canoeing or kayaking. We do not want to belittle these trips but feel that this was not the reason for the committee's existence.
There is nothing we can do about the lads and lassies in Kathmandu or similar destination even with the marvels of e-mail, and the committee will continue to try and support the "gap year" type of expedition if the tag "canoeing or kayaking" expedition is sufficiently warranted. However, in between these two types of trips are (slightly!?) more organised expeditions and we look forward to hearing from these trips
To apply for a grant from the BCU Expeditions committee click here, print off the form and mail it back to me, or better still email it back to me as a "Word document".
Other grants might be available from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.
Youth groups seeking funding might want to check out the BCU's "Canoeing Foundation" which is dedicated to promoting youth development projects. Contact the BCU directly for application forms.
Dudh Kosi - Relentless River of Everest.
At last the original Award-winning HTV film has been released on DVD!
Read more and buy it here
The Coruh Extreme Races were white-water events I was running out in Turkey
I'm not carrying on with these at the minute but if you're interested then please
let me know
Many Rivers to Run is a book of kayaking stories I have compiled
The book is available for £16. See more details about it and read some reviews
here
'If the stories aren’t enough to set the heart racing then the few black-and-white
and superb sections of colour photos will help. This book is far and away the best
and most enjoyable collection of “paddling stories” that I have read. An inspirational
read.' Chris Sladden reviewing Many Rivers to Run