AN adventurer who became the youngest British woman to stand on the top of the world will inspire students and the community when she visits Barrow next week.

Bonita Norris was the youngest British female to reach the summit of Mount Everest aged 22 in 2010, overcoming great odds to make it.

Since then the climber has skied to the North Pole and became the first British woman to summit Mount Lhoste.

Miss Norris will be at Furness Academy, in Barrow, on Monday inspiring Year 10 and Year 11 students to aim higher and reach for their goals.

On Monday night the school will host 'An Evening with Bonita Norris - One Step at a Time' which is an event for adults in the community to heard from Miss Norris and also be inspired by her.

Miss Norris, who hails from Wokingham, was a self taught climber who saved every penny she had to buy equipment. She had to overcome a great amount of prejudice for being a novice with a big goal.

Her message is that she was is no different from anyone else, she just worked hard and didn't give up.

Amy Dempster, of Furness Academy, said: "Bonita is proof that with hard work and determination you can achieve your goals. We are sure our students will be inspired by her.

"We also wanted to have an event for the community."

Funds from the evening will go towards Furness Academy's Inspiration Fund. This fund helps to inspire students to achieve their dreams with talents which are outside of the academic field.

Tickets for 'Evening with Bonita Norris - One Step at a Time' are on sale from the school priced at £8, which includes include a glass of wine and canapes on arrival. The event runs from 7.30pm.

***Win Tickets***

The Evening Mail has two pairs of tickets for an 'Evening with Bonita Norris - One Step at a Time' to give away.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets answer the following question correctly - How old was Bonita Norris when she reached the Everest summit in 2010?

Email your answer to sheila.atkinson@nwemail.co.uk by midnight on Thursday October 6 and please include your names and contact telephone numbers. Entries can also be sent to, or dropped off at, the North-West Evening Mail office, in Abbey Road, Barrow by Thursday October 6.

Everest

*At 8848 m (29029 ft), Mt Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

Mt Everest is located in the Himalayas mountain range on the border of Nepal and Tibet (China).

*In 1865, The Royal Geographical Society gave Mt Everest its English name in honour of George Everest, a Welsh surveyor who was the British Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843. The mountain has other names in languages such as Nepali and Tibetan.

*In 1953 the first successful ascent to the summit of Mt Everest was achieved by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali sherpa Tenzing Norgay.


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