Exeter alumna Dr Anna Collar (pictured right), with her boyfriend and fellow adventurer, is driving 10,000 miles from Cambridge to Mongolia in aid of charity.
Exeter alumna in Mongolia adventure for charity
Exeter alumna Dr Anna Collar is driving 10,000 miles from Cambridge to Mongolia in aid of charity.
The archaeologist is hoping to raise a pound a mile - £10,000 for the Christina Noble Children's Foundation (helping street children & orphans in Mongolia) and BirdLife International (a Cambridge-based bird conservation organisation).
Anna, who studied for her PhD in Ancient History between 2004 and
2008 at the University of Exeter, will be making the trip at the end of
July with her boyfriend (an archaeologist at UCL) in a tiny 1-litre
Suzuki Swift.
The pair have dubbed their adventure ‘Indiana Jones
& the Last Saker Falcon’ to highlight the fact that the Saker
Falcon is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. They will set off on their adventure on 24th July. The route that they are taking will see them pass through a number of countries - including Iran and Turkmenistan.
She said: ‘The Mongol Rally is an adventure to surpass all others -
I've wanted to explore Central Asia for ages. This is the perfect
opportunity to do so - and to raise money for two really different but
amazingly worthwhile charities. Mongolia suffered a particularly tough
winter this year, with huge numbers of livestock killed off by the
cold. More and more families are having to give up their traditional
ways of life to move to the big city, and so more and more children
will need the help that Christina Noble's Foundation provides.'
'BirdLife is an organisation close to my heart - my dad works for them and has always encouraged my love of nature - my first word was 'bird'! Bird conservation is more important now than ever - with the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico threatening seabirds, and the Alaotra Grebe of Madagascar finally listed as extinct just last month.'
She added: 'The Saker is a gorgeous falcon, whose range covers almost our entire route. We want to raise money to help conserve it - and the rest of the world's threatened species. I studied at Exeter between 2004-2008 - I wrote my PhD in Ancient History with Professor Stephen Mitchell. I LOVED Exeter and Devon - I really miss it!’
The pair have organised a number of fundraising events in Cambridge, including a ballroom dancing evening, wine-tasting and a charity auction.
To find out more about the trip, the charities that are set to benefit, and how you can donate, see the expedition’s website: www.lastsakerfalcon.co.uk
Date: 21 June 2010
