10 September 2009 - The Gambia Experience - Press Office
The Gambia Experience is pleased to announce that its relationship with the Eden Project in Cornwall is to be further strengthened by a latest charitable endeavour, which sees Jason Florio and Helen Jones circumnavigate The Gambia on foot this November, in order to raise awareness and funds for the Eden Project’s Gardens for Life programme.
British-born Jason Florio, who splits his time between London and New York, is a professional photographer whose passion for The Gambia has led to exhibitions, as well as the production of an award-winning book, Makasutu – Mecca in the Forest. His partner, Helen Jones – also his producer and assistant – is, likewise, ardent about The Gambia, returning annually to this small West African country, since her inaugural stay there 14 years ago.
The couple’s odyssey will begin in November with visits to the five Gambian schools near the western coast, which are participating in the Eden Project’s Gardens for Life scheme. Jason and Helen - accompanied by two Gambian guides and two donkeys - will then go onto complete an arduous 700-mile circumnavigation of The Gambia. The start point is Makasutu Culture Forest and they expect to return there eight weeks later, in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve. [The Gambia is one of the smallest countries in Africa, approximately half the size of Wales].
The Gambia is the latest country to join Gardens for Life, the Eden initiative, which links 20,000 pupils in schools across the UK, Africa, India and the USA, encouraging them to create gardens, grow food and share stories with others across the world. Monies donated to Gardens for Life fund a whole host of resources, such as good quality seeds, tools, and vital equipment, such as hoses to connect school gardens to water pumps.
Rob Lowe, coordinator of Gardens for Life at the Eden Project says:
“Our work supports the most fundamental kind of food security by establishing community gardens where children are taught how simple it can be to grow healthy food. Often, as countries and communities aspire to develop, so the skills used in tending gardens and looking after land are being forgotten. The aim of Gardens for Life is to remedy this.”
With a proposed route through rural villages, following the course of the River Gambia, Jason and Helen are also keen to continue their documentation of authentic Gambia. A new book, as well as an interactive website, are in the pipeline. Jason comments:
“These remote villages often hold a wealth of history and folklore, relayed through storytelling and traditional celebrations, which are rarely documented through visual or written means. This rich cultural history is at risk of being lost. We aim to help preserve some of it by documenting it as we go.”
The collaboration between The Gambia Experience and the Eden Project is rooted in Makasutu – a 1000-acre cultural forest situated about 45 minutes from the coastal resorts - in The Gambia. The Gambia Experience exclusively features the award-winning Mandina Lodges at Makasutu within its hotel portfolio, enabling guests to holiday there throughout the year.
It was Lawrence Williams and James English, the founders of Makasutu, whose ongoing Ballabu Conservation Project, provided the initiative for Gardens for Life to be launched in The Gambia.
The Gambia Experience is accredited with 5-star AITO Responsible Tourism status. Managing director, Chris Rowles comments:
“We are delighted to be supporting Jason and Helen on this unique adventure to help them achieve the worthy objectives of their journey. Working, once again, so closely with the Eden Project injects such energy and inspiration to our responsible tourism work.”
To contact The Gambia Experience please call 0845 330 2087 or visit www.gambia.co.uk
For up-to-date information on Jason & Helen's adventure, please visit:
http://ashortwalkinthegambianbush.wordpress.com/
To read the Gambia Blog interview with Jason and Helen about their Gambian odyssey:
http://www.thegambiablog.co.uk/2009/09/a-short-walk-in-the-gambian-bush/
For more information on the Eden Project and Gardens for Life, including how to donate, please visit:
http://www.edenproject.com/our-work/people/gardens-for-life/index.php
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