By Donna Richardson
Simon Reeve is a popular and much travelled television personality and great adventurer. He takes viewers on thrilling journeys to the most beautiful places on earth. Recently at an event to raise money for the charity he spoke to hundreds of people about his travels. The event in mid-January saw hundreds of people from across the UK tune in.
During the event organised by the Rotary Club of Tiverton, Simon, who lives in Devon, spent 90 minutes on Zoom answering questions about himself. He reminisced on his younger days, his travels, his likes and dislikes, his most frightening moments with honesty and humour. He also read an extract from his autobiography, “Step by Step”. Simon was his natural self, answering many questions put to him by Rotarian Malcolm Lock. In fact Simon’s personality really shone through as approached the answers with such enthusiasm and honesty that it seemed like listening to an old friend rather than well-travelled adventurer.
“My break into the industry was when I travelled in 2003 to Central Asia. If you get a strange offer from a strange person and it seems noble- say yes,” he laughed.
His advice to cautious travellers is: “Don’t be put off by the fear of travelling. Adventure with purpose and travel with meaning.”
Standout moments during the zoom call Simon were was when spoke about his early career as a local newspaper reporter and listeners learned he had a brief spell of unemployment before he found fame which made him even more determined to achieve his dreams. Rather than falling into a career from a contact at stage school, he carved his way a career on the telly out of sheer ambition. Little did he know back then he would become an author and travel the world as presenter of TV shows including the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Equator.
His most memorable moments: “I will never forget the man in the Caribbean man who refused to sell his land despite being offered a life-changing sum. Focus on the journey and go forwards to explore different parts of the planet,” he shared.
He also shared: “There have been moments that I have been scared in Somalia where it felt like I was in a scene from Black Hawk Down.
“In Kazakhstan I played polo with the head of a goat and was guest of honour in a Kazakhstani yurt.”
His latest “Incredible Journeys with Simon Reeve” is out now. It looks back at some of the most remarkable and remote destinations Simon has visited, from arctic glaciers to tropical reefs and from the forests of Borneo to the deserts of Central Asia.
Chatting for Charity saw Simon share some stories with a Q&A. Over £3,500 was raised from ticket sales and that money went to two fantastic charities: CHAT – which runs a food bank and provides a vital support service for the homeless and Fathoms Free- a group of volunteer Marine Conservationists who clean up plastic waste and marine litter from the seas.
I have my own personal story to tell about meeting Simon in Nottingham during a Kuoni talk. Here I am pictured with him.
DMLR Editorial Services 