Danielle Jackson and team-mate Jake Dove of SES Championed Expedition - South African Conservation Expedition - are just two weeks out from leaving Glasgow and heading for South Africa. Armed with their SES Flag in hand, they will take a group of Glasgow-based University students, set to be the next leaders in their respective professions, to the Eastern Cape of South Africa. By exposing them to the incredible wildlife, as well as the real-life challenges faced by the conservationists in situ, Danielle and Jake hope to inspire them to take-up the mantle of conservation whilst having a tangible and lasting effect on the local communities the Expedition Team will work with.

The Expedition will run for two weeks from 24th August to 8th September 2019 and will include:

• Sponsoring of an endangered species veterinary procedure to replace the telemetry tracking collars on a pride of lions in the area.
• Carrying-out research into the health of estuarine habitats monitoring for the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the ecosystem.
• Working with ecology and anti-poaching units to understand the challenges faced by conservationists, especially relating to the rhino crisis.
• Sponsoring of projects within a local Xhosa school to improve sanitary and communal areas for the children decreasing the risk of sickness (due to poor hygiene) leading to missed time at school.
• Sponsoring of recycling bins for the local schools and townships in order to improve the aesthetics of the areas and to raise environmental awareness within wider communities.
• Providing a structured program with roles and responsibilities for the students enabling them to demonstate and develop leadership and team working skill, which will count towards the qualifications they are already undertaking in other areas of their studies.
• Inspiring the students and creating future ambassadors for conservation.

They are absolutely thrilled as they have managed to raise another £630 to go towards their community outreach programs through their Justgiving page. They will be placing state of the art tracking microchips into the lion instead of a tracking collar - all funded by the expedition. The students are all very excited and are also in the process of organising a sky diving jump, if the weather allows!

We wish Danielle and Jake and the expedition every success.