Written by Mrs Frost, Librarian 

Kenton accepted a library invitation to visit us in the midst of his UK K2 Savage Mountain Tour for 2024. He spoke of his autobiography plus his amazing adventures and offered an informative snapshot into his life as a World leading Mountaineer, Adventurer, Speaker and Author. He gave focus to inspiration, motivation and approach to challenges as someone who has reached the summit of Everest a huge eighteen times! He explained he’s a great believer in aiming for people to constantly progress and be the best versions of themselves, stressing that for him it is the passion and enjoyment of what he does that drives him forwards – with an emphasis on progress not perfection. He reminded us that he has failed many times and this has been just as important to him as his successes. After a debilitating accident in 1996 he recalled how something inside him would not allow that to be the ending for his love of the mountains and he battled through whilst galvanising every part of his being to overcome the prognosis presented to him. He indicated that some of his early reading experiences, as serendipity would dictate, have aligned to a certain extent with his current reality. After years spent in Nepal making wonderful lifelong friends he referenced his close mountaineering friend Dorje Gelje ; a Sherpa guide who has worked with him extensively over the years and someone who he would not wish to be without in the mountains. He holds a close affinity with the general Guide and Porter community; these are the men & women who work above base camp at Everest fixing ropes to ensure safety for an influx of climbers and visitors each year. Sadly, these astonishingly hard working individuals do lose their lives to the mountains in their quest to keep everyone safe. Bereaved family members are faced with financial hardship and no social support available in Nepal. Kenton supports the Juniper Trust Charity which fundraises to help these families affected into a more hopeful and brighter future. Thank you to everyone for showing great interest in this event and should you be interested in finding out more about the Juniper Trust Charity please see a link below. Many thanks should go to Kenton Cool for his inspirational talk. We wish him well as he returns to Everest base camp with a group as we speak. We look forward to hearing more about Kenton’s future adventures and maybe a new book or two in the future! https://thejunipertrust.org/