This year saw our first team working in the Ambue Ari Bolivian animal sanctuary (Questonia!). The start to a project is often the hardest, with everyone still learning how best to work with each other. This was even more challenging, as the project was for them to build their own living and eating quarters, while being surrounded by thousands of mosquitoes and waist deep flooding throughout much of the jungle. They bravely battled on though, and their work paved the way for every group which would follow them - well done!

In Peru, our Villa Maria project was still on the up, and we had reached a point where the funds and work our teams had provided for the community could now extend beyond the summer months when we had teams visiting (Jan-Mar) and were looking for ways to support throughout the year. This gave Alejandro, our head of the project over there, the opportunity to set up something he had been dreaming of for some time. So the Quest Overseas primary school was established in Villa Maria, offering subsidised and free education for hundreds of children in the area. It also gave us a base to run our workshops, sports clubs and other activities throughout the year and quickly became a focal point for the district.

Back in the UK, the era of the Quest office on Clapham Common was coming to an end. What started out as the corner of Michael's bedroom in 1996, and then became 1/3 of the flat, then 1/2, then the entire property, had now stretched over four different properties including accommodation for staff. It was a fantastic location, 15 minutes from the centre of London and close to parks, tennis courts and way too many pubs! We were starting to realise though that, for a group of people who enjoyed the great outdoors, this perhaps wasn't the ideal location for us to be based. Coupled with the fact that, in October, Michael had his car tyres slashed right in front of the office (!), London quickly lost its appeal. So we decided to make a bolt for the countryside, but not so hidden so you can't find us. A move for the office to the Sussex countryside sent all staff to live on Brighton beach, we were all very proud to be living in the home of the dirty weekend!