Babs Powell was one of Top of The Pops' original Pans People - she was the blonde one! In 1975 she married actor Robert Powell and settled down to being a house wife and mother for the next 25 years.
But that all changed after her imagination was captured by the BT Global Yacht Challenge and on 10 September 2000 she set off on an amazing adventure which involved sailing the wrong way around the world - all the more incredible because up to that point she had never sailed a yacht before.
Not only did she complete her 30,000 mile circumnavigation of the globe last year but she raised an enormous £50,000 for charity. Babs has also trekked in Nepal with Ingrid Tarrant, wife of Chris, for the Children's Charity and is planning many other equally challenging projects in the future.
In 2003 she embarked on two new challenges of human endurance – in January she spent two weeks with a Guyana Jungle Expedition where she was part of a 24 strong team who successfully attempted to build a wilderness research post in the Iwokarma forest reserve.
In April Babs entered a gruelling Polar Race, as a part of a team of three, from Resolute Bay to the North Magnetic Pole. She and her team mates walked and dragged a Pulk 350 nautical miles from Resolute high in the Canadian Arctic.
They reached The Pole at 22.30 on May 1st - the journey took Babs and her Team ViP3 about 20 days. She says it was her toughest challenge to date.
But that all changed after her imagination was captured by the BT Global Yacht Challenge and on 10 September 2000 she set off on an amazing adventure which involved sailing the wrong way around the world - all the more incredible because up to that point she had never sailed a yacht before.
Not only did she complete her 30,000 mile circumnavigation of the globe last year but she raised an enormous £50,000 for charity. Babs has also trekked in Nepal with Ingrid Tarrant, wife of Chris, for the Children's Charity and is planning many other equally challenging projects in the future.
In 2003 she embarked on two new challenges of human endurance – in January she spent two weeks with a Guyana Jungle Expedition where she was part of a 24 strong team who successfully attempted to build a wilderness research post in the Iwokarma forest reserve.
In April Babs entered a gruelling Polar Race, as a part of a team of three, from Resolute Bay to the North Magnetic Pole. She and her team mates walked and dragged a Pulk 350 nautical miles from Resolute high in the Canadian Arctic.
They reached The Pole at 22.30 on May 1st - the journey took Babs and her Team ViP3 about 20 days. She says it was her toughest challenge to date.
Initially recognised for dancing with Pans People on Top of The Pops for over a decade and being married to actor Robert Powell, Babs has spent the past couple of years taking on amazing challenges such as the BT Global Yacht Challenge and the Polar Race to raise money for charity. Her speeches are inspirational.
HOW I PREPARED FOR AND COPED WITH THE BT GLOBAL YACHT CHALLENGE 2000 - Babs gives a wonderfully inspiring precis of her trip, of the amazing teamwork, the support of her family and friends and the sights she saw along the way. She particularly enjoys a question and answer session, which can be highly amusing as well as very informative.
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