LESAProject

A tribute to a personal heroine who celebrates her 66th birthday on 22nd November. A first impression What was it about one particular woman, wielding her wooden racket in the black and white world of 1960s television, that imprinted itself in this fan’s memory? She came from another country, and she played a game I had barely learned to understand, let alone master. To me, she looked middle-aged even though still in her early 20s. She was ordinary in appearance but unusual in demeanor. I knew nothing of her background nor of her achievements in tennis—other than she had just beaten the ...

In a life jam packed by remarkable physical endeavour, Ranulph Fiennes last night took a step beyond even his own many records of achievement.  At 65, Fiennes became the oldest Briton to conquer Mount Everest. With poetic understatement, he described the journey as “the closest you can get to the moon by walking." But only last year he swore, after his second failed attempt, that he would never try to climb Everest again. After all, his first attempt in 2005 had also ended short of the summit with a heart attack. What changed his mind? The spur to this ultimate mountaineering challenge was his ...