Covid-19 may have stopped play, but it didn’t stop us from hosting our Easter Term 2020 Speaker’s Event!  On Monday 4^th May, we were delighted to be joined by BBC journalist and newsreader, Sophie Raworth, for an inspiring talking covering everything from how she started out in her career to her incredible sporting achievements.  In order to accommodate the ongoing national lockdown, the event took place via video call, with Sophie joining us from the dressing room of the One Show! One advantage of going virtual was that we had an increased capacity – the event was hugely popular with over 64 of our members tuning in.

Sophie started her talk with an overview of how she got into journalism and led us through the path that her career has taken, with an encouraging message to take all the opportunities you can.  She then went on to talk about her sporting achievements.  For those unaware, Sophie is a keen and accomplished marathon and ultramarathon runner.  She spoke about how she got in to running – comparatively later in life compared to many successful runners – first completing the London marathon in 2011 at 42 years old.  From there, she has completed all six World Marathon Majors.  Sophie also recounted her story of completing the six-day 156-mile ultramarathon across the Sahara Desert, the Marathon des Sables.  Her tale of endurance and intense physicality was truly inspiring, and the enthusiasm with which she spoke of it showed her incredible dedication to sport. 

The event ended with a fantastic Q&A session, with our members submitting a diverse and interesting array of questions for Sophie.  Overall, all who attended the event left feeling inspired in for both career and sporting prospects (and perhaps even motivated to don the running trainers!).  We are incredibly grateful to Sophie for her time and for fitting us in to her busy schedule and to all our members who attended. 

If you or someone you know would be interested in giving a talk at one of our future Speaker’s Events, we would love to hear from you!  Please get in touch with our Events Officers, Kirsten and Robyn.