Local student travels to Hong Kong as part of Team UK after winning international competition

The King's School student, Naomi Gammon, is embarking on a trip to Hong Kong after winning a national competition to represent Team UK at the International Geography Olympiad 2019.

The competition is run by the Geographical Association, described as 'an annual competition for the best 16 to 19-year-old geography students from all over the world'. The year 12 student from Payhembury was one of four successful students from the UK.

Speaking to Nub News, Naomi said: "The selection process involved an application form, including an assessment of my GCSE examination results and a written task based on answering four challenging geographically based questions.

"The Olympiad will run in the fascinating coastal city of Hong Kong, on the south-eastern tip of China, from July 30 - August 5, 2019.

"It will be attended by teams of Year 12 and 13 students from over 40 countries worldwide who compete in three tasks: a written test, a multimedia test and a fieldwork task.

"I have been very fortunate to receive grants from the Foundation and Jubilee Trust, Honiton & District Lions Club, Rotary Club of Otter Valley and Payhembury Provisions - these have hugely helped in covering some of the £1850 cost of competing.

"The programme also contains opportunities to explore the host city and participate in cultural exchange activities under the theme of 'Discovering a vibrant city for our smart future'.

"From this experience, which will be the first time I have travelled on an aeroplane, I hope to gain insight into the contrasting culture of Hong Kong and enhance my global perspective by meeting with students from different countries.

"I also hope that I will gain a greater understanding of global issues within geography and improve my fieldwork skills in an environment which is incredibly different to rural Devon.

"As well as this, I hope that this experience will complement the other activities that I have taken part in, such as Ten Tors, in enabling me to gain important interpersonal skills, self-confidence, communication and language skills that will enable me to be well placed to make a significant contribution to our local and global community in the future."