A Bath student has been announced as the winner of the 2017 Gap 360 Student Travel Grant, and she plans to use the £3000 grant to take her boyfriend on a surprise trip around the world.
Beth Faulkner, 19, from Witney in Oxfordshire and currently studying at the University of Bath, was announced as the winner after the judging panel unanimously applauded her ‘fantastic enthusiasm and unselfish reasons for entering’. She wins a £3000 grant to spend on Gap 360 programmes.
Beth plans to travel to Africa with her boyfriend of three years, Kyle Faulkner, 20, to experience the culture and wildlife. Then she would like to carry on to Australia because last year Kyle had to cancel plans to travel Down Under after a family member became ill.
“I feel on top of the world! I am so overwhelmed and feel very honored,” said Beth.
“My Mum actually cried, bless her. I saw the competition in January and just thought it was a good distraction from revision! But then I read through the details and I instantly thought of my boyfriend Kyle.
“He missed out on traveling for complicated reasons and when I saw that you could win this grant I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.
“I wanted a chance to repay Kyle for everything that he has done for me and I honestly don’t think there is anyone more deserving of the prize than him.”
Kyle had no idea she had applied for the grant. “I knew something was coming because she was acting very strangely”, he said.
“However, I had no idea that she was going to surprise me with something like this. I really wasn’t expecting it at all! Beth is so amazing and I am incredibly lucky to have a girlfriend who is so thoughtful – to be revising and sitting exams and be willing to spend time entering this competition for me is immense.
“I am so grateful for this chance to fulfill my dream of going to Australia after I had to cancel my plans last year.’”
The Gap 360 Student Travel Grant is awarded to students from all walks of life to help fund a travelling experience that they might otherwise not be able to take.
To win the award, they have to demonstrate why they should be considered the most deserving recipient and how it will benefit their development.
First they need to show their passion for travelling and explain why their proposed trip is important. They then need to showcase how they would document the trip via blogging, photography & video, which is a crucial part of the grant.
The ten stand out applicants are then taken forward to a phone interview stage with Gap 360 which enables a more personal, verbal, aspect to be added in. The lucky recipients of the three prizes are then decided.
“Be yourself,” said Beth about applying for the grant and going through the judging stages. “There is nothing more precious in this life than staying true to yourself.
“You are an incredibly and wonderfully made human being with so many qualities and talents – show them that. They want to know the real you, what you’re passionate.”
The winner and runners-up can choose where and when they go travelling with the grant. Before they go to Australia, Beth is planning to travel with Kyle to Africa.
“The dream is to go on safari” she said. “Going on safari is definitely something I would not be able to afford on a student budget so I’ll be able to tick that off my bucket list! I am an animal fanatic and the goal would be to see a leopard in the wild, I know it’s a lot to ask but I’m hoping luck will be in my favour!”
“Africa seems like such an amazing place with so many different experiences and a rich culture, very different from what I’m used to back home, and it would be a wonderful experience to have, creating memories which will stay with me forever.
“My Dad went on safari when he was in his twenties and he still raves about it to this day. Hearing all his amazing stories has really inspired me to go and see it for myself – he was overjoyed when he heard I’d be able to go!”
David Stitt, Managing Director of Gap 360, said: “We were blown away by Beth’s fantastic enthusiasm for wanting to travel but more than that it was her unselfish desire to ensure that her boyfriend, Kyle, completed the trip he had to cancel last year, which was so refreshing to hear.”
“We firmly believe that travelling enriches a young person’s understanding of the world, developing self-confidence and improving life skills and employability.
“This is why we created the Gap 360 Travel Grant last year. Its success meant we increased the grants for 2017 so we can help more students.”
Applications for the 2018 Gap 360 Student Travel Grant are set to open again in September. To find out more and register, head to: www.Gap360.com.
