Carlisle learner Anastasia Relph is about to join apprentices from Land Rover on the trip of a life-time to Kenya.

The Penrith based 21-year-old, who works as a classroom assistant at the Beaconside Primary School, will join apprentice technician Dominic Vince and 32 other young people on a jaunt that will see them scale mountains, go on safari and view the sites of capital city Nairobi. It is a “busman’s holiday” - so they will also be expected to complete a project to help a community project, too.

Dominic Vince and Anastasia Relph

Anastasia has been preparing for the all action trek with the aid of a personal trainer. But then overcoming difficult obstacles is a lifetime’s habit for the tenacious Cumbrian. Shunned by local colleges because of her dyslexia, Ana is finally on the path to a career in education thanks to supportive staff at her school and Rathbone Carlisle. It was at our Devonshire Street base that she was first introduced to the voice-activated computer program, Dragon – which enabled her to order her written work better.

Leicester learner Laura Blount-Smith will accompany Ana as the only two females on the journey. The 18-year-old retail apprentice, who has been getting fit by visiting a local climbing wall, has had many mountains to scale too, in looking after her cancer-stricken mother. Laura was forced to quit completing her A’ Levels to care for mum Sarah and has really benefitted from earning as she learns on her apprenticeship. Maintaining and selling Sat-Navs at Halfords should mean Laura knows her way around – though her fear of insects could prove a bit of a problem!

The trip to Kenya has been organised as part of Land Rover’s apprentices “Making a Difference” (MAD) drive. To learn more about the campaign, go to: http://www.landroverapprenticeships.com/about_lr/apprentices_are_mad/mad.htm