Wirral fundraiser Antonia needs your help for jungle trek (From Wirral Globe)

Wirral fundraiser Antonia needs your help for jungle trek

8:00am Saturday 6th October 2012 in News By Stephanie Cureton

A YOUNG Wirral woman is busy raising cash to fund a jungle trek to help endangered orang-utans.

Antonia Seedhouse-Morton, who works at The Body Shop in Birkenhead, is set to tackle the Sumatran jungle project in April next year in a bid to highlight wild orang-utans’ struggle for survival.

The 21-year-old needs to raise more than £3,500 to secure her place on the trip and is calling on Globe readers to back her challenge.

She said: “I’m busy fundraising at the moment as I need to raise £3,600 to secure my place. So far I am up to £600 but need to hit my target by January.

“I think it’s really important to try and highlight the current predicament of orang-utans. They are being driven to the brink of extinction in the wild due to loss of habitat and encroachment by man.

“The palm oil industry is largely responsible as huge areas of rain forest are cleared to make way for more and more palm oil plantations. The problem is it’s such a short-sighted policy.

“We need rain forests as they are the lungs of the world and home to such diverse wildlife. The orang-utan is just one of the species under threat because of loss of habitat.”

Antonia, who lives in Liverpool, graduated from university last year with a degree in politics and now wants to forge a career with the ethical retailer.

She is now preparing for her 35km trek and is hoping she can get up close to a an orang-utan.

She said: “Ideally, I want to learn the business and eventually work with our Community Fair Trade Team, sourcing new Fair Trade products from around the world and monitoring our links with these communities.

“As soon as I saw the Body Shop Foundation Charity Challenge I knew I wanted to be part of it. I am under no illusions, it’s going to be tough, very tough.

“I have been warned Sumatra is a high risk malaria zone so I have to take malaria tablets from the outset and I have also got to have injections against a number of tropical diseases.

“But if I get a glimpse of a wild orang-utan it will all be worth it. However, we have also been warned that we must not get too close.”

To sponsor Antonia, visit The Body Shop at The Pyramids Shopping centre, Birkenhead.