Cadogan Tate were once again very proud to sponsor an award at the Scientific Exploration Society (SES) Annual Awards ceremony. With notable members from the world of exploration including, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Col John Blashford-Snell, Neil Laughton and Rosie Stancer, The SES supports a worldwide programme of scientific expeditions for the exploration of remote regions of the earth; focusing on scientific, conservation, education and community aid projects, particularly in under-resourced environments. Affectionately referred to as “the Oscars of Exploration”, the evening was held at the Royal College of Surgeons in London and saw some 200 explorers gather for an evening of lectures, short films and awards to celebrate the achievements of its Pioneers with Purpose programme.
Now in its 4th year, Cadogan Tate’s award is designed to support the preservation of the planet by focusing on the advancement of organic and natural practices and conservation. This year’s Cadogan Tate award went to Christopher Poonian to help finance an expedition to Egypt’s South Sinai to study the impact of traditional Bedouin tribal fishing practices on the reef eco-system. The study also aims to analyse the conflict between these historic tribal practices and the modern dive-related tourist industry.
Attending the awards, Zach Wright of Cadogan Tate commented “The study of natural environment and community are incredibly important. To preserve both, we must first study so we may understand – and sometimes that involves sending our explorers to some of the most remote corners of our planet. We await the results of Christopher’s expedition with interest.” In classic SES spirit, one of the award winners, sporting a heavily sunburnt face, actually delivered her speech in a stunning evening dress but entirely shoeless. Her explanation by way of apology was simple; having returned less than 24hrs previously from a polar expedition to gather scientific data, her frostbitten toes were simply too painful to allow for stilettos.
She was in good company with fellow presenter and veteran polar explorer Rosie Stancer who without anaesthetic, famously amputated two of her toes with a penknife, when severe frostbite looked like it could prevent her from being the first woman to complete a solo trek to the South Pole. With a heritage in Polar exploration that can be traced back to a relative who was the chief Geologist on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1916 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Rosie enthralled the crowd with an inspirational lecture on her up-and-coming expedition to trek across China’s Taklimakan “Desert of Death”. Rosie will lead an Anglo-Chinese team as they cross some 1000 KM on foot with only their 20 trusty Camels to carry the essentials for their survival. The expedition supports two charities – Special Olympics GB and Veterans Aid and we are looking for further support of this unique Anglo-Sino expedition.
You can learn more about The SES here.