The Transglobe Expedition Trust
Sir Rannulph Fiennes and Ed Stafford join Campfire 2017 line-up at Home Farm Glamping
Explorers Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Ed Stafford have joined up again to host the Transglobe Expedition Trust's ‘Campfire' event for the third time on June 30th at Home Farm Glamping near Elstree, Hertfordshire.
Among their line-up of speakers around the fire will be ocean adventurers Olly Hicks and the Coxless Crew; explorer ‘Spike' Reid, just back from conquering the River Ganges on a paddleboard; Ness Night, who crossed the Namib Desert solo on a fatbike; Laura Bingham, who crossed South America by bicycle and without money; and Red Bull's Adventure Editor, Pip Stewart.
Ed Stafford, currently marooned again for the Discovery Channel - this time in Madagascar - said: "Campfire is a unique, relaxed event where we provide inspirational talks from a renowned team of explorers and adventurers as they tell of their agonies and ecstasies in taking on extraordinary challenges - physical and emotional. Add in the opportunity to meet our speakers informally, great live music, food and drink and all the elements of a brilliant evening are there."
The evening also has live music from The Vagaband;craft beer and cider; aprosecco van; award-winning sodas; free wood-ovenpizza;and informal chats with the speakers around the Campfire.
Event sponsors are the leading outdoor clothing and equipment brand, Berghaus; Knights Cider; Sharp's beers; and Square Root London (BBC Radio 4 Food & Farming Awards 'Best Drinks Producer' 2015) and Home Farm Glamping.
All proceeds go to fund the work of the Transglobe Expedition Trust - a charity supporting humanitarian, scientific or educational projects which follow in the Transglobe Expedition's tradition of adventure and perseverance. This tradition was described by its patron HRH the Prince of Wales as "mad but marvellous". www.transglobe-trust.org
Date: Friday 30 June 2017; 1900 - 2300
Venue: Home Farm Glamping, Aldenham Road, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3AZ
Ticket prices (includes free pizza): £65 (£45 concessions) www.homefarmglamping.com
Tickets from: Ticket Tailor http://buytickets.at/transglobeexpeditiontrust (Pre booking only, no tickets at venue)
ENDS
Media contact: Kevin Traverse-Healytraversehealy@btinternet.com
Event Contact: Gini Bowring-Dykescampfire@transglobe-trust.org
Home Farm Glamping contact: Jess Gibbsjess@homefarmglamping.com/claire@nichebrands.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
The speakers at Campfire 2017 are:
Olly Hicks is a man of the sea - a triple world record holder, ocean rower, sailor, kayaker. To date he has spent 2.2% of his life alone at sea. Olly Hicks was the youngest person to row an ocean solo -and is the only person to row single-handed, From America to England. On the 28th September 2005, after 124 days alone at sea (a shark attack notwithstanding), Olly landed in the Scilly Isles "not much madder than when I set off". It was a remarkable achievement for a young man who had never rowed before, but it hadn't quenched his thirst for adventure. Olly's next mission was to row single-handed around the world. The aim was to row from Tasmania to South Georgia, stop for the winter and then carry on through the tempestuous Southern Ocean back to Tasmania - a trip of 18,000 miles that would take 20 months. It was a mission that has been described by The Times as "at best perilous and at worst suicidal". He set off in 2009 only to disappointingly, after "only" 96 days, be forced to abandon the voyage because of boat problems. Olly's sole focus now is to try again. This Summer he led the 1,500 mile Greenland to Scotland Challenge - a 66 day sea kayak voyage to prove that the Inuit may have made the same journey in the 17th century. He is currently preparing a single handed, round the world, rowing race. Olly will discuss what drives him; how crossing oceans alone in small boats came to be his metier; and why for him adventure is the ultimate quest.
Coxless Crew are a team of six women who achieved a world first by rowing 8,446 miles unsupported across the Pacific Ocean in 2015/16 from America to Australia in their 29ft pink ocean rowing boat, "Doris". In the process they raised over £65,000 for two charities, Walking with the Wounded and Breast Cancer Care. In total, the crew were at sea for 257 days with each crew member rowing 12 hours every day in two-hour shifts, sleeping for just 90 minutes at a time. On arrival in Cairns the Coxless Crew, with support from the Transglobe Expedition Trust, became the first 'fours' boat and first all-female team to row the full Pacific from America to Australia. Their journey is featured in a new documentary 'Losing Sight of Shore' by Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Sarah Moshman.
Mike "Spike" Reid has completed numerous expeditions in a wide variety of countries, ranging from first ascents in Tajikistan and Siberia; training young people in the Norwegian Arctic and the jungle of Borneo; and trekking in Bhutan and Afghanistan. In 2008, Spike circumnavigated the world along the line of 50°N after winning a bursary from the Royal Geographical Society and Land Rover. Spike has done numerous journeys by stand-up paddle-boarding, having recently completed the first descent of the River Ganges from source to sea by this means.
Ness Knight & Laura BinghamNess Knight was the first female to stand up paddleboard 1,000 miles and has solo cycled 2,000 miles across the USA; was the first female to swim the River Thames; has run 15 marathons back-to-back; and crossed the Namib Desert solo on a fatbike. In 2018 she will be embarking on a world record expedition to be the first female to row across the Pacific Ocean from
North America to Australia solo, non-stop and unassisted.Her fellow adventurer, Laura Bingham, sailed the Atlantic; and crossed South America by bicycle and without money in 2016, raising awareness and funds for Operation South America, a charity that looks after homeless or abused girls and young women in Paraguay.
Pip Stewart is a journalist and adventurer who has reported all over the world for the likes of CNN, the BBC, The Telegraph and The South China Morning Post. Her most recent project was crossing the remote Amazon basin by bike and boat for a 6-part documentary highlighting the impact that deforestation is having on indigenous tribes. She has also cycled 16,000km from Malaysia to London. Pip is a trained meditation teacher and has a Masters in journalism from the University of Hong Kong and a Bachelors' degree from Oxford University. She's currently London based working as Red Bull's Adventure Editor.
Ed Stafford (Host & Trustee) entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2010 for having become the first man to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, supported by the Transglobe Expedition Trust. His tale was produced as a film Walking the Amazon for Channel 5 and a best-selling book. In 2011 he became European Adventurer of the Year and in 2012 Ed was dropped on an uninhibited tropical island for 60 days with no food, water, tools, equipment, or even any clothes. Starting from absolute scratch he had to use the natural resources and his wits to survive. He documented the ordeal for the Discovery hit TV series Naked and Marooned.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes (Host & Trustee) is described by the Guinness Book of Records as "the world's greatest living explorer". From 1979 - 82 he led the Transglobe Expedition, one of Fiennes' most epic journeys to circumnavigate the world on its polar axis, using only surface transport. In total, the team covered 52,000 miles over three years. Since then he has made unsupported trips to both poles, run seven marathons in seven days in seven continents and summited Everest. Most recently, in April 2015, he became the oldest Briton to complete the Marathon des Sables in aid of Marie Curie.
The Vagaband is an 8-piece band from Norfolk with quite a following across the UK festival scene. Appearances include Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Bestival, Camp Bestival, Croissant Neuf and Maverick Festival. Among the instruments they play are fiddle, mandolin, pedal-steel guitar, clarinet, flügelhorn, banjo, squeezebox and piano. They play original song-based roots music; a soulful mix between americana, blues, jazz and rock. http://www.thevagaband.co.uk/
Home Farm Glamping is a luxury glamping site set in 100 acres of farm and woodland in Hertfordshire on the outskirts of London. The farm has hosted the Transglobe Expedition Trust's Campfire event for the last two years. http://www.homefarmglamping.com/
The Transglobe Expedition Trust is a UK Registered Charity No. 1029586.