Join us for an exhilarating evening with adventurer and author Mollie Hughes. This fundraiser supports Empowering Women of Nepal.

Join Mollie Hughes, world record-breaking mountaineer, polar explorer, and motivational speaker, at the Fraser Centre in Tranent on the evening of Saturday 5th September for a special fundraising event.

Following the presentation there will be a short Q&A session as well as an opportunity to purchase signed copies of Mollie's books in the foyer.

In 2017 Mollie became the youngest woman in the world and the first English woman to summit Mount Everest from both the north and south sides, and in 2020 Mollie broke the Guiness World record to become youngest woman to ski solo to the South Pole, a 702 mile crossing completed alone over 58 days.

Mollie is the author of Breathe, shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature, and Blue Scotland, a photography led guide to Scotland's wild water. In December 2020 she became the first female President of Scouts Scotland.

The Fundraiser for Nepal

All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards supporting the work of the charity Empowering Women of Nepal, a charity close to Mollie's heart.

Twice a year Empowering Women of Nepal run their Female Trekking Guide Training (FTGT) Programme.This training programme is an intensive four-week course based out of Pokhara, Nepal.

Between the years 1999 to 2019 EWN have trained over 2000 women from 52 districts of Nepal!

The money from your ticket sales will help to addresses the pressing need for gender equality and economic empowerment in Nepal's tourism industry.

Despite progress in recent years, women in Nepal continue to face systemic barriers to employment and advancement.

The FTGT programme aims to dismantle barriers by providing marginalized women with the necessary training and support to become qualified trekking guides, thereby empowering them to overcome socio-cultural norms, access sustainable livelihoods, and serve as inspirations for future generations.

For every £195 we raise, a woman will be able to attend the one month training programme which includes 155 hours classroom training and 56 hours field based training.

The Events Inspiration

The evening is being organised by Alison the Development Officer at the Fraser Centre after a recent trip to Nepal with Mollie and her company Ocean Vertical.

'I had such an amazing time in Nepal in March of this year. It was an incredible experience with 8 days of trekking in the Annapurna region. During the trek we were supported by female guides and trekking assistants from the 3Sisters Trekking company.

On the last night of the trek our assistants taught us some Nepali dances and in return we taught them a traditional Orcadian Strip the Willow! During the trek we also had the chance to hear some of the girls stories; including the challenges many woman still face in Nepal where they are expected to stay at home, receive less education and are not allowed to work outside the home. These challenges are compounded by the caste system which is still a day to day reality for many.

It's hard to believe that female trekking guides were unheard of as recently as the 90s.I had previously been at Mollie's book launch of 'Breathe' and asked if she would be willing to take part in a fundraiser at my work so I was delighted when she jumped at the chance and offered her time for free. I'm looking forward to hearing more about her adventures at some of the most extreme environment's on earth as well as seeing some of her amazing photos on our big screen.'

Description supplied by the event organiser.