Rosie Stancer is the embodiment of the idea that with self-belief, motivation and application, anyone can push themselves beyond their perceived limitations and achieve the extraordinary.
Going Back to No.10
July 7th, 2012Well if I can’t show off on my blog site, where and when could I. Besides, rather a lot of other explorer/adventure types might be up to the same as some of us gathered for an ‘Ambassadors’ of the GREAT campaign meeting at No 10 Downing Street.
Rosie Stancer Ambassador for The Great Campaign
I recall when I was living in Shanghai back in 2001, the British Embassy carried out a survey on how the Chinese perceived the British. …..
Big red buses, bowler hats and brollies.
Today they would still score 1/3 winning on the brolly bit but it did make one wonder how the rest of the world saw us……
Well now, riding on the great tide of interest generated by the Olympics,
The GREAT campaign has been designed to refresh this rather Monty Pythonesque image, promote the UK abroad and to deliver long-term economic benefits.
Things looked promising as I past the No.10 cloakroom and saw a line of rucksacks. Up a sweeping staircase, brushing past the collection of portrayals of each and every Prime Minister. Then with delicious British quirkiness, I was led through a green baize door into a rather informal little winding kitchen, before reaching a suitably imposing meeting room.
Thronging under the high ceiling were the likes of the twinkly-eyed Christopher Bonnington with whom I had a robust debate on the real reason why Scott and his men died.
Pen Hadow my old mentor and friend, who’s heading up north the same year as moi but from Russia and crossing the arctic ocean via the north pole, Col. Blashford-Snell who recounted to me how he travelled down through South America, accompanied by a harp & harpist who would strike up Mozart of an evening with one of the locals and on another occasion took a piano to Cuba. I never realised ‘Blashers’ was a kind of pith-helmeted pied piper.
Then there was Roz Savage, Atlantic rower, with whom I had previously shared a kitchen supper, discussing with her at the preconception stage how to realize her dream, which she fulfilled in 2006 a violent and fierce year on the Atlantic. Brian Blessed who made the room feel too small with his wonderfully operatically deep voice filling every dimension with fulsome eulogies from the joys of the British countryside to Space, Benedict Allen and David Hempleman-Adams who presided over this rather extraordinary coming together of admirable anoraks.
And the last time I was there? 1997 after the successful completion of the 1st All Women’s Relay to the North Pole. Glowing with the triumph we had been invited by the then new boy on the block Tony Blair for a cuppa. Everyone kept mistaking Pen who was the expedition manager, for Blair, well they did look similar?
More meaty info on the GREAT Campaign to come.