Speaking this month we have:

1. Rob Self-Pierson – Twinned with…. An adventure through the twin towns of Europe

   In 2012, I hopped in my trusty car KT with my girlfriend RG and drove 10,000 miles around 45 twin towns on the European continent – towns that friends, family and strangers had asked us to visit.

   Why? To discover what happens in these twins. And find out what we could about this cultural phenomenon, from the people who keep it going.

   House party invitations with dreadlocked strangers in Ghent, 6am sunrises in Clermont l’Herault, flat tyres in Italy, hairpin bends in the Pyrenees, drunken arguments in Praha, new nieces, Inquisitions, Austrian earthquakes and lots more. All in just three mad months.

   Welcome to a town twinning experience like no other.

   Find out more about Rob’s website wearetwinnedwith.com and follow him on twitter @robselfpierson

2. Nigel Watt MBE, Hannah Smith, Olivia Ng – three continents, 9000 miles, one idea.

   How much adventure can you pack into 18 months working in the coldest, and one of the most polluted city on this planet…? It turns out, a fair bit. From falling through the ice at minus 30 degrees C, diving for the first time of my life, in Siberia, in relatively balmy temperature of minus 7 degrees, to organising a charity ball celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee in, er, Mongolia.

   “All of these started with one idea – a two weeks volunteering workcamp in Ulaanbaatar. As it turns out… it changed the way I look at the world forever”. Olivia

   This talk brings together the stories of three travellers: Nigel, who first took part in workcamps in the 1950s, dedicated his life time to the beautiful continent, joining the International Volunteering Service, founding workcamp associations in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Namibia. Nigel later worked for Christian Aid in Burundi and was awarded an MBE for his work. He is the chairperson of Volunteer Action for Peace (VAP).

   Hannah volunteered in Germany – in an Island where the main form of access is twice a day by car, when the tide is low. (If it so turns out that you are still there when the water is back… yeap there are emergency poles that you can climb up and wait for rescue).

   How much difference can one individual make…? We look forward to sharing our stories with you and would love to hear your experience and your view on how we can do more.

   

   

   

   

   

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting approximately 40 minutes.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September.

If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here.

Speaking this month we have:

Continue reading London Meetings, Saturday 6th Sep 2014 →

Speaking this month we have:

• Members Slides : Around the world in eighty minutes. 10 presentations of 10 slides.
  • Part one

1. Moya Goatley  — South Korea
2. Zara Taylor — The other terracotta army
3. Gavin Fernandes  — Goa beyond the tourist season
4. Barbara Brooks  — Valparaiso, Chile
5. Fiona Churchill  — D.P.K.R (North Korea)
• Part two
1. David Shamash  — Holland
2. Janie Butler  — A day and night on the river Niger
3. Liz Cooper  — Madagascar
4. Rob Self-Pierson  — Twin towns: a taster
5. Dick Curtis  — Down and out in Paris
• Reserves
1. Jacqui Trotter  — Las Vegas to San Francisco

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting approximately 40 minutes.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September.

If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here.

Speaking this month we have:

1. Mary Fogarty – ‘Life and love in the Alpujarras’

   Life and love in the Alpujarras: time spent in the foothills of the last home of Boabdil the Moor, before he was expelled from Spain. Memories of time spent amidst the oranges and olives and pomegranates – and walks in the hills and travels around towns and adventures with madmen.

   Find out more about MARY at marrakechtailormade.com and hoteltaray.com.

2. Ian Packham – Encircle Africa: the first solo and unassisted circumnavigation of Africa by public transport.

   Ian’s biggest adventure to date – a 396 day, 25,000 mile journey – took Ian on the first solo and unassisted circumnavigation of continental Africa by publically available transport. Using this mode of transport ensured reliance on, and therefore greater interaction with, local populations on the coast of Africa.

   Find out more about Ians adventures at his website, and on twitter @ianMpackham and facebook

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting approximately 40 minutes.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September.

If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here.

Speaking this month we have:

1. Neil Rees – Travels in the Republic of Congo: Guerillas and Gorillas

   The Republic of Congo with its capital at Brazzaville lies to the north of the River Congo.  After years of communism and civil war it is now a peaceful country with very few tourists.  Neil travelled to Brazzaville and took the Congo-Ocean railway to Beembe country. Then he travelled north and visited two pygmy villages where at 6’7″ he made some very short friends, and later went to meet gorillas, where formerly there were guerrillas.

2. Jacqui Trotter – Short trip to Serendip.

   Talking about her recent trip to Sri Lanka, Jacqui Trotter will be drawing on 30 years of independent & group travel to describe this area as one of her best travel experiences of recent years. Food, scenery, wildlife, mountains, beaches, culture and history and especially the people, make this island nation a jewel for travellers of all kinds.

   Jacqui is proudly Australian, and almost British (citizenship pending), and has lived in, worked and travelled from the UK since 1988. As a nurse in a busy London hospital, shift work means strange work patterns and thus provides quirky travel opportunities.

   As well as Sri Lanka, her recent travels have included America, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Australia. Her interests include cooking, jam making, photography, reading, gardening and keeping up with a myriad of friends and family around the world.

   Jacqui co-ordinates the London Meetings for Globetrotters Club Ltd and has served on the GT committee for 15+ years

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting approximately 40 minutes.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September.

If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here.

Speaking this month we have:

1. Leon McCarron – ‘On Foot Across China: a 3000 mile trek from the Gobi desert to Hong Kong’

   Leon McCarron is a Northern Irish adventurer and cameraman. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and specialises in long distance, human-powered expeditions. At the end of 2012 Leon crossed 1000 miles of the Empty Quarter desert, roughly following the route of explorer Wilfred Thesiger and pulling a cart loaded with supplies.In May 2012 he concluded a 6-month, 3000 mile expedition walking the length of China, from the Gobi desert in Mongolia to South China Sea in Hong Kong. National Geographic produced a 4-part TV series of the journey: Other journeys include a 14,000 miles solo and unsupported on a bicycle from New York to Hong Kong, and a folding bike trip around the British Isles to climb the Six Peaks.

   Find out more about Leon at www.leonmccarron.com

2. Dan Bachmann – Georgia: Good Morning Svaneti

   There are few places in this world which I would describe as magical, but Ushguli is certainly one of them. The history, culture, architecture, landscape and lifestyle are all part of an unworldly and unforgettable experience.

   

   

   Follow Dan on twitter:@danbachmann or look at his weekly photo blog: www.danbachmann.com/blog

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting approximately 40 minutes.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September.

If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here.

Speaking this month we have:

1. Jan Meek – Unfinished Business – The Arctic

   Jan’s talk covers the two expeditions to the magnetic and geographic north poles, the first in 2007 when she and her son together with Richard Profit, successfully walked and skied 350 miles (560 km) from Resolute, Nunavut to the Magnetic North Pole in 20 days and 5 hours and the second less than 12 months later with top explorer David Hempleman-Adams to the Geographic North Pole.

   Jan Meek is a three times Guinness World Record holding adventurer, ocean rower, and polar adventurer. You can find more information about Jan at http://www.janmeek.com

2. Geoffrey Roy – Close Encounters with the Ice Bear

   Geoffrey had an obsession with Polar Bears and headed off to Manitoba in search of that magical close-up.

   He’s been to the North Pole twice and South Pole once, been to Mt Everest 3 times (most recently in 2012 – in winter). He has summited Mt Kilimanjaro 13 times, Mt Kinabalu 6 times, as well as the active volcano Mt Sangai as well as Mt Sumarco, Cotapaxi and the other volcanoes of the Andes Avenue in Ecuador.

   Geoffrey was a finalist in the 2008 Hasselblad Masters Competition, winner of the Best Consumer Travel Writer at the 1998 Canada Travel Awards for an article on the Yukon and shortlisted in the Specialist Magazine category at the 1996 Travelex Travel Writing Awards for a story he wrote about the Amazon.

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting approximately 40 minutes.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September.

If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here.