On Thursday evening, we were delighted to welcome back Old Girl, Jez Horsell, to present the inaugural lecture in our HLC Lecture series. Jez attended the School from 2002 to 2009. During her time here, she was outstanding on the games field, becoming goalkeeper for the 1st XII lacrosse team and Games Captain in Upper 6.
Whilst in Lower 6, Jez travelled to Indonesia with Mrs List for the charity Operation Wallacea, which carries out conservation research used for assessing the effectiveness of conservation management interventions.
Travelling to a remote part of the world seems to have given Jez an appetite for adventure and last year she took on the huge challenge of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. The idea first came to her when she was appointed Events Manager for the RAG organisation at Hull University, where she is studying for a BA in History. As team leader, Jez had to organise eleven other students, who were making the trip with her, and take on the huge responsibility of ensuring that they all returned safely.
On 3 September, Jez and her friends set off, on what was to be the challenge of a lifetime. They were all fit and healthy and fully expected to be able to complete the climb. However, in the end, only eight reached Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, four succumbing to altitude sickness and injury. It took nine gruelling days and every bit of energy they possessed, all at some stage wanting to turn back.
The team was raising money for the charity Childreach International, which works in partnership with local communities in the developing world to help improve children’s access to healthcare, education, and child rights and protection. Jez personally raised £2,637 and the group as a whole raised over £36,000, an incredible amount when you find out that just £2 will buy a child‟s stationery for eight months in India.
This was a truly inspiring talk and we were all extremely proud of Jez‟s achievement.
