Fascinating speakers are heading to Inverness and Aberdeen to give inspirational talks, writes Susan Welsh
What do a world leading climber and base jumper, the first British woman to summit Everest, a man who recently set an endurance record for living on Rockall, a man who circumnavigated the world entirely under his own steam, a leading plant conservationist and Britain’s most accomplished astronaut have in common?
The answer is that they will all be making tracks to Inverness and Aberdeen this winter, to give public talks in association with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS).
Their stories could not be more diverse or fascinating and range from tales relating to the ends of the world to out of this world stories relating to experiences in the space shuttle.
The season of talks, which take place at the Highland Council Chamber on Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, kicks off at 7.30pm on Monday, October 6, with Leo Houlding, one of Britain’s most accomplished climbers who recently completed the first ascent of the Wolf’s tooth – a fierce spire of rock in the Antarctic.
At the beginning of November this is followed up with a talk by Rebecca Stephens – the first British woman to summit Everest.
Rebecca ’s talk on Monday, November 10, will include details of her experiences, and to mark the centenary of Ernest Shackleton’s infamous Endurance expedition, she will reflect on his incredible leadership qualities and how she has drawn inspiration from the example of the most famous of polar explorers and previous RSGS directors.
Other speakers visiting Inverness include RSGS chairman Professor Roger Crofts, (December 8), speaking about his experiences and the landscapes and geology of Iceland.
Also speaking is Jason Lewis, who was the first person to pedal east-west across the Atlantic Ocean; to rollerblade solo across the US and to pedal across the Pacific Ocean, all of which were part of his plan to circumnavigate the world by human power. The objective of his Expedition 360 was to promote environmentally-friendly travel, world citizenship between cultures, and awareness of climate change among young people.
His talk takes place on Monday, January 12.
In February, Deborah Long, the Head of Plantlife Scotland, will be looking at the lessons to be learned in plant use and conservation from indigenous groups in the Himalayas.
She spent two months in Nepal researching medicinal plants. Without these plants, many of Nepal’s communities would have no access to health care.
This knowledge and these connections bring a different view of the world: what really is valuable and how can local communities maintain their access to those valuable resources?
The final guest in the Inverness series of talks is entitled, Around the World in 80 Minutes, which gives a big clue as to what the subject material will be.
Special guest is Piers Sellers, three times shuttle astronaut and ecologist. He was born in Britain but became a naturalised US citizen in order to become an astronaut with NASA.
He’s taken part in three shuttle missions and has spent more than 550 hours in space, including more than 40 hours on spacewalks.
In Aberdeen, the talks take place in the MacRobert Building, University of Aberdeen, King’s College, at 7.30pm.
The next guest in the series of talks is Dr George McGavin who presents: Tales from Television: Bringing the Animal World to Your Front Room on Monday, November 3.
George is a TV presenter, author, explorer and entomologist whose research has taken him from the tropical forests of Papua New Guinea to the caves of Thailand, and from the jungles of Belize to the savannas of Tanzania.
His most recent appearances on the small screen were in the BBC series Monkey Planet, and as the One Show’s ‘bug man’.
Aberdeen talks conclude on December 1 with a visit from Børge Ousland: Against All Odds – Adventures in Polar Exploration, (December 1) and restart in 2015 with a visit from documentary film maker, Doug Allan: The Changing Poles, (January 5); James Raffan: Circling the Midnight Sun, (February 2) and Jeremy Hunter Arirang: The North Korean Propaganda Art Phenomenon, (March 2).
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society is one of Scotland’s oldest educational charities and runs more than 90 public talks a year throughout Scotland with a wide range of guest speakers.
Chief executive, Mike Robinson said: “This is the 130th year we have been bringing these incredible talks to people across Scotland, and once again we are delighted to be hosting some of the greatest names in outdoor adventure and science communication.
“We have always been fortunate that many of the most influential and inspiring people of the past century or more have given talks for us and we are happy to be able to continue this tradition.
“Please come along and be inspired.”
Talks are free for members of RSGS, but anyone can come along (non-members are asked to pay £8). These run until March 2015. Contact: www.rsgs.org