Sicily, an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, has a rich history and Robert is heading there to learn about the culture, experience the multicultural history – such as the Roman and Greek influence – as well as the Christian and Muslim impacts.

During his expedition, Robert aims to improve his Italian, learn and experience the turbulent archaic past, the ruins and artifacts left over from this time, to experience such a beautiful place and to see the towns and nature that have inspired his writing in the past, which he hopes will influence his expressive arts in the future.

It was brilliant to welcome back Old Stopfordians Roger Lightwood (OS 2010), Adam Keyworth (OS 2018), and Ben Finlay-McDougall (OS 2021) who formed part of the judging panel.

The former pupils provided valuable experience as former winners of the award and were able to ask pertinent questions of the eleven pupils who submitted applications. Entries ranged from trips to destinations such as Nepal, China and Morocco.

We look forward to hearing about Robert’s travels upon the completion of his trip.