Showing images of gangrenous fingers and blackened frostbitten toes might not seem appropriate content for an after-dinner slideshow. However, when you’ve invited one of the world’s greatest living explorers, you’d be disappointed with anything less.
The A. Proctor Group was delighted to welcome adventurer and explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, and 70 industry guests to their 2018 Spring Social event in London. This year the event was held on the luxurious Sunborn London Yacht Hotel in the historic Royal Victoria Dock, conveniently located just steps away from the ExCeL Exhibition Centre where EcoBuild was taking place.
On-board the Sunborn, guests were invited to take in the city views from the unique vantage point atop the open-air Sky Lounge deck before being treated to a sumptuous three-course dinner in the stately wood-panelled West India Dock room.
Managing Director, Keira Proctor, began the evening with an engaging introduction to the A. Proctor Group and its 80+ year history as a family-run business. During her talk, she described the risks the business has taken to transform the once agriculture focussed company into today’s internationally respected construction materials brand. Keira also talked about the steps the company is now taking to develop new products and establish the A. Proctor Group as the experts on HAMM Principles (Heat, Air and Moisture Movement).
Shortly after dinner, Sir Ranulph commandeered the microphone and, with expected military precision, took the audience on a 60-minute adventure ride describing some of the most gruelling challenges and world-record setting experiences of his career to date as an explorer.
Trying to keep up with the pace of Sir Ranulph’s talk seemed to make the audience breathless; at times from laughing at his poker-faced delivery of jokes and the not-so occasional dig at his long-term challengers, the Norwegians, and at other times simply out of awe and wonder at the superhuman tests he had faced, endured and overcome.
The evening was brought to a close with Sir Ranulph meeting and delivering a personalised signed copy of his book, Beyond the Limits, to each guest.