Women of the Year Awards 2010 honour Scot Karen Darke as this year's Woman of Achievement - 2010 Women of the Year Awards recognises the amazing achievements of Scottish woman Karen Darke, who despite being paralysed has embarked on a number of challenging adventures, by awarding her with the Woman of Achievement Award 2010.
Women of the Year Awards 2010 honour Scot Karen Darke as this year's Woman of Achievement
By Beatrice Mocci
Oct 15, 2010 - 12:17:42 PM
The 2010 Women of the Year Awards has
recognised the amazing achievements of Scottish woman Karen Darke who,
despite being paralysed, has scaled mountains and embarked on a number
of challenging adventures by
sit-skiing and hand-cycling, by awarding her with the Woman of Achievement Award 2010.
The
awards recognises exceptional women and no more is this quite so acute
than the adventurous Scottish woman Karen Darke, presented with the
Woman of Achievement Award 2010 for her strength and determination in
overcoming a cliff fall aged 21 which left her paralysed. This did not
deter her in life as she went to scale mountains and embark on number of
challenging adventures, raising thousands of pounds for charity.
Prior
to the accident, Karen was a keen runner, climber and all round outdoor
addict, but at the age of 21 she fell off a cliff and became paralysed
from the chest down. There begins the opening chapter of her book ‘If
You Fall…’ and the beginning of an extraordinary new life.
"Just
the night before my accident, I said I would rather die than be
paralysed, but little did I know what lay ahead. Instead I found fortune
in my misfortune, inspiration from people in similar and more
challenging situations all around me, and began pursuing alternative
ways to access the outdoors. Not being able to move or feel anything
below my chest level has of course been a challenge, but I’ve come to
learn that nothing is impossible if we set our mind and our efforts to
it," said Karen Darke.
Having
to challenge both her own physical and mental barriers, Karen was able
to complete many trips that others, including herself, believed
impossible; from marathons and triathlons, to kayaking, sit-skiing and
hand-cycling in some of the most inhospitable places on the planet.
These
trips have included a crossing of the Tien Shan and Karakoram mountains
of Central Asia on a hand bike (1997 and raising £12,000 for charity),
handcycling the length of the Japanese archipelago (2000), sea kayaking a
1200 mile length of the Canada – Alaska coastline (2003), crossing the
Indian Himalaya by handcycle (2006) and skiing the Valle Blanche on a
sit ski.
The
most recent and physically challenging adventure was a 600 kilometre
traverse of the Greenland ice cap, a month long journey across one the
world’s last great expanses of wilderness. The winds can reach 200 miles
per hour and temperatures drop below 40 degrees. This was especially
challenging as paralysis restricts the regulation of one's body
temperature, however with hard work, determination and a great amount of
support, it was a journey that became possible.
As
well as these incredible achievements, the award also recognises
Karen's success in climbing the kilometre high overhanging precipice of
El Capitan, a giant granite rock face in Yosemite National Park, USA,
which was a huge mental challenge, overcoming her doubts about climbing
and dread of heights, getting back on the ropes and working through the
fear.
"4000 pull ups felt easy in comparison to the mental obstacles," explained Karen.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
Has own company:http://www.inspireandimpact.com/speaking: Karen
speaks from the heart, and inspires audiences in schools, organisations
and businesses around the globe. She shares personal stories focused on
overcoming challenge, embracing change and achieving the
‘unachievable’. As a learning and development specialist and with
personal experience of working in corporate and public sectors, she is
able to connect with a wide range of clients, large audiences and small
teams.
Modest
and thoughtful, Karen is a highly sought after and successful speaker,
whose stories inspire all those who take time to reflect on what it took
to achieve them. Some
of her clients included Unilever, Shell UK, Halliburton, Microsoft,
Braun, Novartis, Institute of Directors, SportScotland, a collection of
UK universities and other private and public organisations.
Karen
has a passion for the outdoor environment and has participated in a
range of expeditions to remote parts of the world. Paralysed at the T3
vertebrae, Karen has developed T3 Exped, a branch of Inspire and Impact
Ltd. delivering talks and interactive events to schools and businesses.
The T3 theme stands for tenacity, technology and teamwork. Seewww.t3exped.co.uk for more information.
The 2010 Businesswoman of the Year finalists Year
on year, the prestigious title attracts an outstanding field of
candidates and 2010 is no exception. The seven finalists drawn from
every walk of life has each made a significant contribution to the
financial success and performance of their organisation:
-
Louise Bennett, Chief Executive of
Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
-
Julie Moore, Chief Executive of University Hospitals
Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
-
Suzie Norton, Chief Executive of Birmingham based
Screen West Midlands.
-
Alison Wetton, Founder and Chief Executive of All About Weight, headquartered in
Crewe.
-
Kavita Jnagal and Rani Upelle, co-founders of Simply Recruitment, based in
Birmingham.
-
Fiona Toye, Chief Executive of Toye, Kenning and Spencer, headquartered in
Birmingham.
The
judges were Ben Gulliford, Regional Centre Head for Barclays Wealth ,
Silla Maizey, Management Board Director, British Airways, Gavin Tyzack,
Director of Sales Southern Division, Hilton Hotels UK, Geoff Cousins,
Managing Director of Jaguar UK, Tracy Westall, UK Public Sector Sales
Director in the UK, SCC
About the event
Now in its 28th
year of fundraising success, the Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards
is the best kept secret outside of London and a sell out year on year,
the event is attended by hundreds of high profile and talented female
guests. The 2010 event sponsors were Barclays Wealth, British Airways,
Harvey Nichols, Hilton Birmingham Metropole, Jaguar, SCC and The
Challenge Factor.
The
event raises vital funds for the national charity, Vitalise, which
provides essential respite breaks and other services for disabled
people, visually impaired people, and carers. Proceeds from the Awards
are donated directly to Vitalise. Over the years, the awards have raised
over £500,000 for thecharity.
Vitalise
is a national charity providing essential services for disabled people,
visually impaired people and carers. Vitalise provides short breaks for
disabled people and carers, with 24-hour nursing care on-call and
personal support, at three accessible UK centres. A fourth Centre in
Cornwall provides accessible activity and adventure breaks for children
and adults with disabilities. All of Vitalise’s Centres offer a wide
range of activities and excursions. Vitalise also organises group
holidays for blind and visually impaired people, accompanied by sighted
guides.
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