A York-based adventure sports company hopes to inspire the next generation of explorers through a new venture.

Rat Race, whose headquarters are in Shipton, specialises in organising ultra marathons, epic assault course races and even sends its test pilots to the furthest corners of the planet.

Now it is aiming to help alleviate the boredom for children unable to travel about due to the global pandemic.

It has launched Future Explorers – 10 projects to keep young explorers entertained and help them understand more about places around the globe.

Founder Jim Mee said: “Our favourite thing to do here at Rat Race is explore the world, learning all about different countries and cultures and having amazing adventures along the way.

“Now we’re looking for our next generation of explorers to come along on the journey with us.”

The projects focuses on locations including Namibia, Patagonia and Mongolia, where past Rat Race competitors have been to run, bike, canoe and even ice skate in challenging environments.

They reveal the animals that live there, the climate and the equipment needed for exploration.

Allie Bailey, Rat Race chief test pilot who tries out the challenges before they are made available to the public, is urging youngsters to get involved.

“You’ll learn some fun facts and get to do some super cool activities, too. Do you think you can make a glacier out of paper mache? Or a Lego volcano? How good are you at drawing a map? Or maybe you can write a story about an adventure you would like to do?

“To help out we have included links to websites that might help with research, but we’d encourage children to use any books they have as well.

“Just download the workbooks, print them out and grab your pens, pencils and paints to get started.

“Once completed, we want you to upload your work to social media so we can see what you have created. Every week we’ll be handing out prizes and sending out goodies for the most creative, clever and funny.”

The Future Explorers projects are free, with workbooks released each week at https://ratrace.com/futureexplorers/.