A Lake District hotel was treated to a visit from a member of the Royal Family.
Last week Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex, attended a dinner at Lindeth Howe Hotel in Windermere, hosted by Sir Norman and Lady Stoller to celebrate the Champions’ Challenge 100 which forms part of the activities to mark the centenary of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and ensure the legacy of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DofE) for many years to come.
A group of challengers were led on a 10k trek around Rydal, Grasmere, and Alcock Tarn returning along the side of Red Nab to Rydal Hall by award assessors, Caroline McCann and Natalie Wilson, and accompanied by Sir David Templeman Adams, the renowned explorer who has summitted all seven of the highest peaks on each continent, walked to both North and South Poles, and flown across the Atlantic in a hot air balloon.
Through the generous support of the challengers and other donors, the Champions Challenge raised £100,000, which will be used to ensure more young people around the world have the chance to take part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, which Prince Philip founded in the 1950s.
Sir Norman welcomed everyone to the Lake District and introduced Sir David who described how he became involved in the award as a teenager and how it influenced his life and career.
He then introduced a presentation from Anish Luitel, a high-altitude climber, Scout leader and gold award holder from Nepal, who explained how the award experience motivated him to become a high climber which has so far led to him summitting Mount Everest from both the south and north sides.
HRH The Earl of Wessex thanked everyone for their ongoing efforts in supporting the award, which continues to positively affect the lives of many youngsters around the world.
Stephen Broughton, MD of Lindeth Howe and Mountain Goat Tours, said that it was a privilege to be part of the awards scheme and even the Lake District weather smiled on the group giving them spectacular views as well as a sense of achievement.
The menu at Lindeth Howe included a Mackerel supplied by Neve Fleetwood fisheries, duck breast supplied by Lakes Speciality Foods in Kendal and a lemon cheesecake created by the hotel’s pastry chef.
The meal was finished with a serving of petit fours made by the hotel and tea and coffee served by Pennington’s of Kendal. The table was dressed with a large floral display provided by Kevin from Brackens of Bowness.
