A former pupil of South Tawton Primary School has received a prestigious award from the Royal Geographical Society. Amelia Davies, 17, took part in an expedition with the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) to Arctic Greenland last summer. The trip included the opportunity to gather scientific data on the effects of global warming on glaciers — its base camp was on the edge of the Hurry Fjord, said to have been the source of the iceberg responsible for the sinking of the Titanic. Amelia said: 'We were there for a month. It was really physically hard. The food was awful, and you couldn't really wash, except in freezing cold melt-water.' At a recent Royal Geographical Society Awards dinner held in London, Amelia was chosen to receive the Les Morgan Leadership Award, from among 250 students who had taken part in the BSES expeditions last summer. The award is an annual prize made to an expedition member who has shown exceptional initiative or leadership in adverse circumstances. Amelia said she was completely surprised to have been chosen for the award. She was selected by the society on the basis of being 'incredibly considerate and thoughtful to everyone else in the group — she would not have dreamed of, for example, filling up her water without asking everyone else if they wanted theirs filled too. 'Amelia always thought of everyone else before herself. She had unending amounts of energy and was always cheerful. She was someone who could always bring the group together and get everyone smiling and laughing again even when they were exhausted and cold and hungry.' Amelia is now head girl at Exeter School, and hopes to study medicine at Oxford this autumn. She said: 'I would definitely encouarge other people to go on a BSES expedition.' And people shouldn't be put off by the cost, because it's always possible to raise the money for the expeditions through sponsorship or charity events.' BSES is a non-profit-making charity which provides opportunities for young people aged 16 to 23 to take part in science and adventure projects. For more information visit http://www.bses.org.uk">www.bses.org.uk