Student 'Bears' up to TV Challenge of Survival in Wild

A young adventurer had a "life changing" experience teaming up with survival expert Bear Grylls for a new television show. Lavinia is currently staring in the new ITV show Bear Grylls Survival School. The Ellesmere pupil was one of 10 youngsters selected from 4000 applicants who left their luxuries behind to head into the rugged mountains of Snowdonia for a two-week trip last August.

The show follows Lavinia and the other teenagers making fire and building shelters, crossing rivers and abseiling, as they are forced to look out for themselves and each other in the great outdoors. Lavinia admitted she was sometimes scared, cold and hungry and she missed her family. But the plucky 14-year-old impressed Bear as she threw herself into every challenge.

She said "The first night, we were split into boys and girls teams and Bear told us to camp in the wild with nothing apart from our backpacks and survival food which some decided not to eat - it's disgusting. We had to make a shelter. We were cold and hungry that night."