The Rotary Club of Church Wilne welcomed Amy Spencer to its Speaker Evening on 27th October.

She gave an inspirational talk on her expedition to Mount Everest Base Camp, which is at a height of 5,364m (18,761 feet) above sea level and located in the most mountainous corner of the world. She followed in the footsteps of Sherpa Tenzing and Sir Edmund Hillary who conquered Everest in 1953. Before her trip Amy carried out research to ensure that an ethical company was chosen to organise the trip, one which ensures that the Sherpa's are provided with appropriate clothing and equipment for the trip and money is invested in the local economy. It is important to ensure the local Sherpa's are protected from exploitation. Claire flew from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to Lukla where the expedition started. The trek started with a gently 7 hour hike through warm green valleys and ridges and became more arduous as the days passed. Gradually climbing over 7 days to a height of over 4 and half times the height of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. The temp dropped dramatically and fighting the cold became a major challenge, the trek was extremely exhausting but all Amy's preparation carried her through. The route passed Khumjung School founded by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1961, it is the only high school in the Khumbu region and caters for 350 pupils, it is situated in a picturesque Sherpa village at a height of 3,790m. On reaching Mont Everest Base Camp the weather started to close in and the trek back to Lukla started, although exhausted another 7 days trek back had to be made.