Gilbart Travel Bursary
This bursary was set up in 2006 in memory of Tom and Carol Gilbart, who came to the school in the 1940s and were known by generations of Vines. It is open to any Vine planning to travel during their Gap Year who may need help with their expenses.
For further details please send an email to the Headmaster: hm@vinehallschool.com
“Thanks to the Gilbart Travel Bursary which was kindly awarded to me by the Vines Society, I was able to spend 2 months working in Mozambique as part of a Shark and Ray Conservation Internship with a small British company called Love the Oceans.
We were responsible for collecting and recording data from two local fishery sites, which involved measuring and photographing every fish that the local fishermen brought up either in nets or by spearfishing. On average we found they were bringing up approximately 4-8 sharks a day, a shocking number for this part of the world.
In Mozambique there are laws against shark fishing, however, these are not strictly enforced and the motivation behind this conservation company is to collect enough data to hopefully force the government into action. On top of the research done on land, we also scuba dived the local reefs daily, creating log books on the species, and number of each species, of fish that were seen. Although this was extremely time consuming, it was an amazing experience as we were lucky enough to encounter many different species of shark, including hammerheads and guitars, humpback whales, and most incredible of all, huge manta rays.
We also helped in the local school, taking it in turns in groups of 4 to teach the local children about their local marine environment and the importance of sustainable fishing, as well as completely renovating the school buildings and adding a brand new classroom. I am so grateful to Vinehall for enabling me to take this opportunity, it was an unforgettable experience, and one I hope to be able to repeat in the future”.
Lucy Carrick