Local student selected for International Geography Olympiad tells of her recent trip to Hong Kong

Naomi Gammon, a King's School student from Payhembury, was selected as one of four successful candidates to join Team UK on a trip to Hong Kong for the International Geography Olympiad 2019.

The competition, which runs from July 30 to August 5, is organised by the Geographical Association, described as 'an annual competition for the best 16 to 19-year-old geography students from all over the world'.

Honiton Nub News caught up with Naomi upon her return, to find out how the trip went.

She told us: "I have now returned from the Olympiad and have had a brilliant time - despite disruptions from Tropical Cyclone Wipha and the escalating political challenges in Hong Kong.

"I placed 44th/166 participants in the individual competition, with the highest score in the bronze medal category.

"A highlight of this, was placing 15th in the Written Response Test.

"Receiving a medal was a wonderful surprise and a result I had certainly not expected!

"Overall, Team UK was ranked 3rd/43 countries - a result we are hugely proud of as it is the UK's first time finishing in the top 10.

"It was a really amazing trip and I would say the best bit for me was meeting people from all over the world - it was quite surreal thinking that there was people from 43 countries all together.

"It's amazing how close a relationship you can build with people in just a week!"

Speaking on the recent unrest that has been reported from Hong Kong, Naomi said: "It did pose quite a problem for us - that combined with a tropical storm in the same week, which meant that we didn't get to visit the town centre and the city area.

"But we did get to explore the countryside, which was very beautiful and challenged my preconceptions of Hong Kong as a completely urban area.

Speaking about the countryside she visited, Naomi said: "It's all lovely hills and islands and little coves. There's a lot to explore there and it was great to see the culture, especially when we went to a 400 year-old abandoned village."