James Borrell is one of those people you meet and you know will go far. He has a real passion and enthusiasm for both conservation and exploration. James is 20 years old and currently studying Biology at Exeter University, but it certainly doesn't just stop there. His passion for encouraging useful and scientific exploration is what really drives him and enough to set up a project called 'The Beagle' (spot the Darwin reference), which looks at the work of those 'out in the field' who are researching and studying our planet. Beyond this, James speaks on behalf of the British Schools Exploring Society  (one of our favourites) encouraging school children to follow in similar footsteps undertaking expeditions and setting aspirations. James went with BSES on an expedition in Madagascar which is where it all started for him before joining their Leadership Development Programme, this time in Norway. You can read all about that stuff on James' websitehere.

For now, we'd like to focus on one particular project James is involved in, The International Scott Centenary Expedition. When James first told me about this, naturally I went a tad green with envy before grinning from cheek to cheek for him. This expedition sets out to be truly once in a lifetime and the perfect challenge for a young explorer such as James.

The aim of the expedition is to celebrate Captain Robert Scott and his team by retracing their footsteps aiming to visit Scott's last camp. Famously and tragically this is where Scott and two other men perished from exposure and starvation 100 years ago. Not only is this expedition a celebration to the British Antarctic Expedition (1910-1913) but also aims to raise aspirations, ambitions  and drive entrepreneurial spirit through an educational outreach programme. In addition, the science of the Antarctic regions is critical in developing an understanding of our planet, as Scott himself realised. The ISCE website is packed with information and a real buzz surrounds this expedition. We obviously wanted to know more about James' involvement and hopefully help his cause. He has the attributes as well as raw drive to be a key member of the expedition team and is one of ten shortlisted candidates about to undergo a selection event to narrow it down further. He told us all about the opportunity and what it would mean to him:


We hear you’re involved with the International Scott Centenary Expedition, how did you get involved with something like that?
Well it all started when, over Christmas, I saw a competition run by The Telegraph newspaper. To apply you had to write a brief essay entitled ‘Why Captain Scott is important to me’. Ever since I first read about the Terra Nova expedition I have had, as many people do, a great admiration for Scott and his companions. So writing about him seemed like a fine way to spend an afternoon. I didn’t really think much more about it until I received a letter through the post inviting me to the next stage of selection.


It sounds great, so what happens next?
Well this Sunday I will be heading down to HMS Raleigh in Cornwall for a three day selection event hosted by the Royal Navy. I’m not entirely sure what will be involved, I think part of the aim is to keep us guessing and assess our ability to adapt to new situations and test our attributes that could come in handy in Antarctica. I expect it to be pretty rigorous, but for me it counts as an adventure in its own right!


The chance to visit Antarctica is really once in a lifetime, what would it mean to you if you were selected?
It’s difficult to know where to start.  Antarctica is a place that I have read about since I was a boy and so it’s really hard to actually imagine going there, to the place where some of the greatest and most heroic expeditions were played out against the elements. First things first, the selection event is only a few days away and I’m really just looking forward to meeting the nine other candidates who are probably as enthusiastic about Captain Scott as I am! Scott is a national hero, and he is still there in Antarctica to this day, that's huge to me!


So what does Captain Scott mean to you?
To be honest, until I started to write about him, I hadn’t realised just quite how much he has influenced my life. That might sound corny, but the repercussions of his actions are still reverberating now. When I was 15 I signed up to embark on my first expedition, it was a huge commitment, I definitely didn’t know what I was letting myself in for, but I think it was the best decision I ever made. The organisation that made it possible, the British Schools Exploring Society, was directly founded by a member of the Terra Nova expedition. The challenges and hardship endured by that expedition, led by Captain Scott, firmly planted the seed of an educational idea in Surgeon Commander George Murray Levick, that would later come to fruition as BSES. Levick was a member of the Northern Party that discovered Scott’s tragic face, and the ISCE Expedition will be following a similar route to the one that search party took.


It’s an amazing story, how do you think it will inspire young people today?
I hope that it will help people see, that fortunately, Scott’s spirit of adventure is still alive and well today. One of the aims is to run educational outreach programmes, and to get young people excited and involved. It’s easy to forget that Scott’s expedition was not a race to the pole, it was primarily scientific, and even though it ended in tragedy, the data collected contributed a huge amount to our scientific knowledge and the whole country was incredibly supportive.  Whether you’re a teacher,  student, explorer or armchair adventurer, you can be involved.


As we've mentioned, do head over to the website to find out more www.isce2012.co.uk. Support James and this truly great celebration of a time, a man, a team and a spirit which made exploration what it is today.

Thanks for taking the time to tell us about it James and rest assured you have the YAC's full support. Good luck!