ADVENTUROUS students are to be inspired further as they meet an old boy who overcame a debilitating condition to reach the top of Mount Everest.
Duke of Edinburgh Award winners from Barnard Castle School will be among the audience as former student and champion for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust returns to talk about his successful venture.
Nick Talbot was diagnosed with the chronic condition when he was just 13. Since then his battle against the respiratory ailment was helped by new super-drugs which allowed him to conquer the summit of Mt Everest and raise £100,000 for further research.
With a talk entitled Pushing Boundaries, Nick, 40, will be guest speaker at the Bentley Beetham Endeavour Lecture, due to be staged at Barnard Castle School, on June 17, at 7pm.
Former pupil and housemaster for 35 years Bentley Beetham was also an accomplished mountaineer tackling Everest in 1924 but was defeated by a bout of sciatica.
For current students, Genevieve Myhan, of Darlington, Max and Lexy Dalton, of Wolsingham and Kim Hodgson, of Hutton Magna, all 17, who are working to achieve gold Duke of Edinburgh awards, both men are proving to be an inspiration in their studies.
“We had to complete an expedition in the Lake District, which was challenging but nowhere near as difficult as what they achieved,” said Lexy.
“But what is equally fascinating is Nick’s fight against cystic fibrosis, a condition that we are studying in biology. I am definitely thinking about medicine in the future and this whole episode has been very encouraging.”
Nick’s talk is open to the public and will be followed by refreshments. To book a place or for more information contact Dot Jones on (01833) 696025, email dj@barneyschool.org.uk.
