A CRUISE company and charity have teamed up to provide a resident with the trip of a lifetime.

Hurtigruten Expeditions and the #WeTwo Foundation have revealed Raff Matthews of Clacton has joined a group of young adults on an epic adventure on the MS Fridtjof Nansen to Antarctica.

Nominated by teachers, social workers, police officers, parents and friends from across the UK, those chosen to participate in the trip have been busy in the past few months.

They have been working on ‘pay it forward’ environmental projects to ensure they would benefit from taking part in the expedition.

Anthony Daniels, UK and EMEA general manager at Hurtigruten Expeditions, said: “It’s incredible to see the dedication of every entrant towards sustainability and you can truly see Raff’s passion to positively impact the environment.

“We can’t wait for Raff and the other young explorers to join us onboard the MS Fridtjof Nansen, and with the help of our onboard scientists and expedition team, realise how the actions in their community will help to protect the world for the next generation.”

Raff was on the reserve list and worked with his mum, a primary school teacher, to organise a beach clean giving youngsters a talk on the problem of plastics in the ocean.

He plans to make the event annual or even biannual going forwards. 

Phoebe Smith and Dwayne Fields, co-founders of the #WeTwo Foundation, added: “We are confident the young people we have chosen will help us plant the seeds of change in their communities and beyond."

The entire expedition is carbon neutral – the participants planted more than 100 native trees to offset carbon produced through flying to the start at Scouts HQ, Gilwell Park.

All the kit they will wear, made especially by Craghoppers, is made from recycled plastic bottles and dyed using sustainable chemical-free practices.

Once on board the MS Fridtjof Nansen, the participants will take part in real-time climate science, collecting samples and undertaking wildlife surveys as well as trying snowshoeing, kayaking, camping on ice and swimming in the Southern Ocean.

When they return, they will be mentored to ensure their new skills help bolster their CVs so that they have the best chance of getting employment and/or applying for further education.