I am a student on Junior Leaders 18. The 9 month course is highly prestigious and gruelling. It utilises military skills as a tool to teach leadership at a high level. 

 John 'JT' Thornton was a student on an earlier course and achieved top student. He later went on to become a commissioned officer in the Royal Marines. In September 2007 JT was deployed to Afghanistan and it was here where he was tragically killed just two weeks from coming home on the 30th March 2008.

 The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation was established in his memory by his parents. They aim to support young people from a wide range of youth organisations; providing them with scholarships and bursaries to support their personal development and the pursuit of their ambitions. Since its formation in 2008 the foundation has made awards to over 1100 young people which total almost £430,000.

In 2016 a staggering £100,000 was allocated for awards which was an increase on the amount available in 2015 and enabled more young people to benefit from support. The foundation provides opportunities for young people to help them to develop as individuals and fulfil their ambitions in life as John was able to do.

Every year students on the Junior Leaders course organise and participate in fundraising events to raise money for the charity. In return the foundation grant 10 bursaries to the course. These bursaries allow 10 qualified Junior Leaders to go on an expedition to help improve a remote village in rural Ghana. 

I will be completing the Lincoln 10K with my Bergen filled with the equipment (15Kgs)needed to complete the test phase, this is to make the 10k a true challenge for me.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.