Events 2010 - 2011
Royal Geographical Society Lecture
Triumph Over Adversity
An age diverse audience were inspired to take on their own mountains after witnessing the terrifying but hilarious tales of three record breaking mountaineers; Nick Spencer, Bonita Norris and Jake Meyer.
The inaugural event held at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society, Kensington, was a sell out with the lecture being attended by over 700 guests. Friendly CAIRN prefects, who are ambassadors for the charity at the Thomas's Schools, added the personal touch as they chatted with guests whilst escorting them to their seats. The evening was also the opportunity for Trotters to launch their new Jelly cat elephant which has been produced in partnership with The CAIRN Trust.
The stage and balcony in the beautiful Ondaatje Theatre had been adorned with Nepalese prayer flags, offering the perfect setting in which to experience the highs and lows of conquering the world's highest peaks. Adults and children alike were held enthralled by the enigmatic climbers. Nick awed us with his determination to summit at 70, Bonita highlighted the difficulties of being a women in a relatively man's world and Jake kept us on the edges of our seats recounting the traversing of glaciers.
Starting the evening with the incredible ridgeline images of mount Aconcagua, Nick impressed upon the audience his strength of character. Having decided to spend his 70th at over 7,000m Nick raised over £100,000 for the children of Nepal, carrying all his own equipment he sumitted on 31st December 2008.
Bonita, the youngest British women to conquer Everest, had us in stitches with the complications of peeing on Everest. She added a pinch of philosophy, describing the incredible effort that, on occasions, was required to force herself to take the next, gruelling, frostbitten step. Finding herself above the clouds, looking out over the world she shared the realization that the effort she was making was taking her somewhere rather special!
Jake Meyer, the youngest man to climb the seven summits, captured imaginations as he animated his climbs, jumping on chairs and balancing on imaginary ladders thrown precariously over glaciers. The end of the lecture was marked by an excited crowd of children mimicking Jake's final summit. Vying for autographs and trying on crampons, inspired claims of setting goals and breaking records could be heard among the buzzing young audience.
The evening was proceeded by a small private reception as a thank you to Nick Spencer, whose generous donation had been instrumental in developing the charity during its formative stages. The drinks were a great opportunity for The CAIRN Trust to show its appreciation for the support that Nick and his donors have shown the charity and what has been achieved together with their support.
Click on the photos to learn more about our speakers
Jake Meyer
The youngest man to conquer the Seven Summits
Visit Jake's website
Bonita Norris
The youngest British
woman to scale Everest
Visit Bonita's website
Nick Spencer
Conquered Mount Aconcagua aged 70
