A leading UK brain tumour charity has revealed that more than £36,000 was raised from a fund-raising event in London featuring record-breaking Mount Everest climber Stephen Venables and world-famous adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Around 500 adventure enthusiasts packed into The Royal Geographical Society last month to hear Venables discuss how, in 1988, he became the first Briton to successfully reach the summit of Everest without supplementary oxygen. Venables and his expedition team – who were reuniting for the first time in 25 years – were introduced by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who made a special guest appearance at the event. Fiennes told his audience: “Only twice have I feared for my life on a mountain, and on both occasions I was with Stephen!”
As well as the talks by Fiennes and the ‘Neverest’ team, the event included a Champagne reception, dinner and auction. All proceeds went to Brainstrust, a brain tumour support charity. Venables – whose son, Ollie, died of a brain tumour, aged 12 – is a Brainstrust patron.
Venables was the only one of the four-man ‘Neverest’ expedition team to reach the summit. He also set a world record for the highest solo bivouac. The reunited expedition team also included Norbu Tenzing, son of Tenzing Norgay, who was with Sir Edmund Hillary on the first successful ascent of Everest in 1953.
The event was sponsored by Rolex, Apter Development and globemakers Bellerby & Co. A hand-painted ‘Perano’ globe donated by Bellerby raised £2,750 for Brainstrust during an auction on the night.
RELATED LINKS
www.brainstrust.org.uk