Lauren Purser

Lauren is 20 and is from Cosham. She's just finished 3 years at Southdowns College, studying a Btec national diploma in Early Years. She's currently working weekends at the Co-op for an agency looking after children with special needs and also doing voluntary work at a siblings group

Like many of the young crew, what comes through most when talking to Lauren is how she feels she's really learned to work as part of a team and to support that team to make things happen. She's also discovered that she loves being out on the water and can't wait to do her leg.

When asked what she was most looking forward to on her leg, she said, "The cowboys! And a man told me not to feed the donkeys; I want to find out what this means".