A TEENAGER from Ecclefechan is busy fundraising for the trip of a lifetime this autumn.
Logan Hutchinson, 14, has been chosen to go and do volunteering work in Hong Kong and Taiwan this October with the Annandale and Eskdale Youth Group.
He will be away for ten days and will be undertaking tasks ranging from visiting the elderly to volunteering in soup kitchens.
Ahead of the trip, the young participants are also off to Glasgow later this month to volunteer in a soup kitchen there and get some experience.
Lockerbie Academy student Logan is excited for the Far East trip, which will be the longest time he has ever been away from home, and he is looking forward to giving something back to people less fortunate, as well as seeing another culture.
He said: “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it will be great going forward into my adult life that I have been and done some amazing things to help other people.”
Logan has been attending the youth group for over three years and has been a young leader at some of the their summer camps. Encouraging others to give it a go, he added: “For anyone who hasn’t tried any of the groups yet it’s a great way to meet new people, engage in some activities that you maybe wouldn’t have tried otherwise and the drop in groups are in most villages and towns.
“The youth group supports young people to step out of their comfort zone and try different things. Last year I attended the summer camp up at Moffat for one night, and this year I am helping as a young leader at numerous camps around the region to support other kids coming along to have a great time.”
All members of the group are fundraising for the £20,000 needed in total for the trip and have a range of events coming up, including race nights, family fun days and pet shows. They are appealing to the public for support and to help them reach their target.
And the youngsters all have a £500 individual fundraising target to meet so Logan has chosen to climb Criffel on September 2.
Mum Kelly has set up a Justgiving page to help him and is appealing for sponsors, before August 24. It can be found on the site under her name. Sponsorship sheets are also available in the Cressfield Hotel at Ecclefechan and The Butchery at Lockerbie.
Along with his dad Luke, she said: “We are both so very proud of Logan to be chosen for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit another country and volunteer in a way that not a lot of people can.
“We want to thank Annandale and Eskdale Youth Group for arranging this trip and for all they do for the young people in the villages and communities.
“I am sure he will have an amazing time and will come back with lots of stories to tell us!
“We would all like to thank everyone who has donated so far, it’s very much appreciated.”
