Neil Laughton Explained

Neil Laughton
Birth Date:31 October 1963
Alma Mater:University of Westminster
Children:Oscar
Scarlett
Amber

Neil Adrian Denis Laughton (born 31 October 1963) is a former army officer, entrepreneur and adventurer. He has completed the Explorers Grand Slam of climbing the highest mountains on all seven continents and reaching both the North and South Poles. He holds a number of records for his activities on land, sea and air.

Personal life

Neil A D Laughton was born in Woolwich, London on 31 October 1963, the eldest son of Captain RFG Laughton (Royal Navy) and Gillian E Cocks. Laughton grew up in rural Somerset and went to boarding school in Sussex (Worth Abbey). Upon leaving school in 1982 Neil joined the Royal Marines.

Laughton married Caroline Reay-Jones in 2006. They live in Sussex with their three children; Oscar, Scarlett and Amber.

Military service

He was commissioned into the Royal Marines at the age of 19 on 28 April 1983[1] and won the coveted Green Beret but resigned his commission in July 1984 after his father died from cancer. After a spell in the corporate world, Laughton volunteered for Selection into the 21st Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) in 1991 and was awarded his sandy coloured beret with famous winged dagger logo bearing the motto "Who Dares Wins". He was awarded his parachute wings in 1992, completed the Explosives and Demolitions course at Hereford and was commissioned at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 6 August 1995.[2] He served in A Sqn, 21 SAS as a Troop Commander until 2003 before resigning his commission at the rank of Captain.

Qualifications and awards

Laughton attended the University of Westminster as a Post-Graduate student, graduating in 1993 with a Diploma in Management Studies. In 1995 The Royal Geographical Society selected him for the Ness Award in 2005 for "Leadership of expeditions and encouragement of others". After joining the Institute of Directors in 2007, he was awarded the institute's Certificate of Company Direction in 2011.[3] [4]

Career

Early business career

Following his military career Laughton held several management roles within the construction industry before moving into self employment from which his entrepreneurial activities stemmed.

Entrepreneurial activities

In 1994 Laughton founded Office Projects Group Limited as chairman with Andrew Russell as commercial director. OPL managed and delivered commercial interior and exterior fit-out and refurbishment projects for a range of blue-chip UK customers and was acquired by Balfour Beatty in 2011.[5] Since then he has held non executive director roles as well as founding the Business Leadership Academy, co-founding Brighton City Airways (City Airways) and is founder and managing director of Laughton & Co Ltd.[6]

Charity

Through his expeditions Laughton has raised funds to support charitable causes, these have included Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Community Action Nepal and Global Angels. He has founded and directed a number of events for charities including the annual Great Sussex Bath Race,[7] the Rockinghorse Sportathlon[8] and Speedee Boarding.[9] These events are all held in support of Sussex Based charities Chestnut Tree House,[10] LifeCentre[11] Rockinghorse[12] and Heart.

Laughton is currently Chairman of the Scientific Exploration Society[13] a charity founded by John Blashford-Snell in 1969 (Charity no. 267410), a role he has held since 2018.

Books

In September 2023 Laughton published Adventureholic: Extraordinary Journeys on Seven Continents by Land, Sea and Air telling the stories of Neil's most unforgettable and daring adventures.[14]

Associations

Laughton founded the Penny Farthing Club in 2013 and has been club secretary since its creation.

Expeditions

Laughton's first expedition was a three-day canoe journey in Somerset with a school friend aged thirteen. He has continued to organise and lead adventurous journeys on seven continents, by land, sea and air. He has completed the Explorers Grand Slam and led more than 50 expeditions to remote parts of the world.

Seven Summits

Over the course of nine years, Laughton successfully climbed the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, known as the seven summits. The first summit he reached was Acongacua in 1991 and he completed the challenge in 2000 in Antarctica on Mount Vinson. During this undertaking he raised money for Great Ormond Street Hospital.[15]

  1. Aconcagua - January 1991
  2. Kilimanjaro - July 1992
  3. Denali - May 1993
  4. Elbrus - February 1994
  5. Carstenz (Puncak Jaya) - April 1995
  6. Everest - May 1998
  7. Vinson - January 2000

Mount Everest, Nepal

Laughton has taken part in five expeditions on Mount Everest.

1996

During his first Mt Everest expedition in the spring of 1996 Laughton did not reach the summit. He was amongst the climbers caught in the "worst storm in 100 years" whilst at an altitude of 9–11 May 1996.[16]

1998

In 1998, Laughton returned to Mt Everest leading an expedition team that includes the young Bear Grylls. They successfully reached the summit of Mt Everest on 26 May 1998, at which point Bear is the youngest Briton to achieve this.[17]

2003

In 2003, Laughton led an expedition to help wheelchair-bound explorer Glenn Shaw achieve his life's ambition of seeing Mount Everest from Base Camp.[18] Shaw had a medical condition known as 'Brittle Bones' and was confined to a wheelchair all of his life.[19] The team successfully reached Base Camp on the north side of the mountain.[20]

2007

In 2007 Laughton returned to Everest with Bear Grylls as Team Leader of "Mission Everest". This record-setting parajet paramotor flight eventually reached an altitude of flying higher than all the Himalayan peaks and raised £1 million for the charity Global Angels.[21] [22]

2015

During an expedition to set the record for the World's Highest Dinner Party, Laughton and his team are on the north side of Everest in Tibet at an altitude of during the devastating earthquake of 2015. The record attempt is abandoned as the team successfully descend from high altitude to help with the rescue efforts.[23]

2018

Laughton returns again with a team to the north side of Everest and successfully host the World's Highest black tie dinner party on Mt Everest at an altitude of on 30 April 2018 as recognised by Guinness World Records.[24] This expedition raised over £100,000 for the charity Community Action Nepal.[25] [26] [27] [28] [29]

Circumnavigations

Laughton holds a number of records for completing first circumnavigations by jet ski and paddle board. In 2000 Laughton was with the first team to circumnavigate the British Isles on a jet-ski. This 30 day project raised funds for the RNLI. This was followed in 2017 by the first jet ski circumnavigation of Ireland again in aid of the RNLI and Help for Heroes.[30] [31] Later in 2017, Laughton led a team of paddle-boarders in the first circumnavigation by stand up paddle board of Easter Island in the Pacific in November 2017.[32] [33]

Greenland

In 2005 Laughton led an expedition in Greenland and achieves twelve first ascents of previously unclimbed peaks as well as making and ascent of Gunnbjørn Fjeld the highest mountain north of the Arctic Circle.[34]

Sky Car

In 2009 Laughton undertook a mission to pilot the world's first road legal flying car on a journey by land and air from London to Timbuktu across the Sahara for charity Alive & Kicking.[35] [36] [37] Leaving Knightsbridge on 9 January the team completed the expedition on 25 February 2009. The Parajet Skycar was driven where there were roads available and flown where they were not, notably over the Straits of Gibraltar.

Polar Expeditions

Laughton has undertaken a number of polar expeditions. Three are of particular note and the last degree expeditions to both poles completed his explorers grand slam.

In 1999 Laughton skis the Last Degree to the North Pole, the last to the North Pole, raising money for the Starlight Children's Charity.

The Shackleton Memorial Expedition led by Laughton took place in 2001 in Antarctica. The expedition planned to retrace Shackleton's traverse of South Georgia. The expedition took three and a half days to traverse the mountain terrain in atrocious weather conditions raising money for James Caird Trust[38] [39]

To mark the 100th anniversary of Captain Scott's arrival at the South Pole in 1912, Laughton led an expedition to ski the Last Degree to the South Pole. When they reached the Pole Laughton organised the first official game of cricket at Pole with the British team winning by two wickets against the "rest of the world" in this commemorative game[40] [41]

Bering Strait

In the winter of 2016 Neil Laughton and James Bingham attempted to make a crossing of the Bering Strait. The ice was too thin to walk on and would not support their weight, but nor was it possible to paddle through in their kayaks. They began to drift north in the ice into open ocean and had to be rescued airlifted from the ice by a United States Coast Guard helicopter who airlifted them from the ice.[42] [43] [44] [45] [46]

In 2013 Laughton Founded the Penny Farthing Club[47] and is Captain of the England Penny Farthing Polo Team. He currently holds the position of Club Secretary for the Penny Farthing Club.[48] In 2018 Laughton was part of the team that helped Mark Beaumont set a new British one hour track record on a Penny Farthing bicycle of in one hour, beating the previous record that had stood for 127 years.[49] [50] The team had hoped to beat the world record that had been set in 1886 in Massachusetts, USA but were short of this world record distance of 35.550 km (22 miles and 150 yards).[51]

Laughton completed a Penny Farthing ride from Land's End to John o' Groats in the summer of 2019 with David Fox-Pitt in support of Mary's Meals and raised over £25,000 for the charity.[52]

On 17 September 2019 Laughton managed a team of racing penny farthing riders who attempted individual world records for the furthest distance in an hour around an indoor velodrome. A new Guinness World Record was achieved by Chris Opie with a distance of 34.547 km.[53]

On 10 October 2019 Chris Opie set a new world record for the furthest distance in one hour outdoors at Herne Hill Velodrome - 22 miles 369 yards (35.743 km). Laughton managed the team with support riders Mark Beaumont and James Lowsley-Williams.

In celebration of GWR Day on 14 November 2019 Laughton attempted three Guinness World Record titles on a penny farthing (no hands) at Preston Park velodrome in Brighton. He was successful in all three setting records for; fastest speed on a penny farthing bicycle (no hands) of,[54] fastest 10 km on a penny farthing bicycle (no hands) of 23 minutes and 23.74 seconds[55] and farthest distance on a penny farthing bicycle in one hour (no hands) of .[56]

External links

Notes and References

  1. 7 June 1983. SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 7TH JUNE 1983. The London Gazette. 49370. 7586.
  2. 23 July 1996. SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 23RD JULY 1996. London Gazette. 54473. 9877.
  3. Web site: My story: Neil Laughton. Laughton. Neil. Institute of Directors. 26 July 2018.
  4. Web site: A Day in the Life - Neil Laughton. Institute of Directors. 26 July 2018.
  5. Web site: Balfour Beatty acquires leading office fit-out contractor. 22 August 2011. Balfour Beatty. 20 May 2019.
  6. Web site: Laughton and Co. Laughton and Co. 20 May 2019.
  7. Web site: Great Sussex Bath Race. Great Sussex Bath Race. 20 May 2019.
  8. Web site: Businesses go crazy at charity sportathon. Rockinghorse. 21 May 2019.
  9. Web site: Speedee Boarding. Speedee Boarding. 20 May 2019.
  10. Web site: Chestnut Tree House. Chestnut Tree House. 20 May 2019.
  11. Web site: Life Centre UK. Life Centre UK. 19 May 2019.
  12. Web site: Rockinghorse. Rockinghorse. 19 May 2019.
  13. Web site: Chairman. Scientific Exploration Society. 19 May 2019.
  14. Book: Laughton, Neil . Adventureholic: Extraordinary Journeys on Seven Continents by Land, Sea and Air . September 2023 . . 2023 . 9781915635464 . 1st . Croydon.
  15. Web site: 7 Summits Facts and Figures of all 7 Summiteers. August 2016. 7 Summits. 19 May 2019.
  16. News: Neil Laughton: the adventure interview. Attwooll. Jolyon. 12 December 2012. The Daily Telegraph. 19 May 2019.
  17. News: The Routine: Bear Grylls, record-breaking conqueror of Everest. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/the-routine-bear-grylls-record-breaking-conqueror-of-everest-9240277.html . 18 June 2022 . subscription . live. Cavazza. Manfreda. 13 January 2002. 20 May 2019.
  18. News: Disabled explorer to tackle Everest. 7 May 2003. The Telegraph. 26 January 2020.
  19. Web site: Glenn Shaw. Glenn Shaw. 26 January 2020.
  20. Web site: Wheelchair Explorer Glenn Shaw Reaches Everest Base Camp. Shaw. Glenn. 9 February 2004. 26 January 2020.
  21. News: Flying into a dream. Grylls. Bear. 19 May 2007. The Telegraph. 20 May 2019.
  22. Web site: GKN sponsor Bear Grylls for Everest Mission, 2007. 2007. Global Angels. 20 May 2019.
  23. News: The Britons caught up in the Nepal earthquake and Mount Everest avalanche disaster. 26 April 2015. ITV News. 20 May 2019.
  24. Web site: Guinness World Records Highest Dinner Party. January 2020. Guinness World Records. 24 January 2020.
  25. News: British adventurer hosts the world's highest dinner party – near the summit of Mt Everest. Reporters. Telegraph. 30 April 2018. The Daily Telegraph. 19 May 2019. 30 April 2018.
  26. News: Dinner party on Everest: how we broke the world record to have the world's highest feast. Whitelocks. Sadie. 20 May 2018. Metro.co.uk. 19 May 2019.
  27. Web site: Neil Laughton breaks Everest Record and celebrates with Mumm Champagne. G H Mumm Champagne. 4 May 2018 . G H Mumm. 19 May 2019.
  28. Web site: The World's Highest Dinner Party. Walsh. Martin. Explorersweb. 6 May 2018 . 19 May 2019.
  29. News: The world's loftiest dinner party was on Mt. Everest. McFall-Johnsen. Morgan. 11 May 2018. SNEWS. 19 May 2019. Cruz Bay Publishing Inc.
  30. News: Crew of civvies and veterans sails in to city after epic trip. 19 August 2017. Belfast Telegraph. 20 May 2019.
  31. Web site: Round Ireland by Jetski!! August 2017. 22 February 2017. Marine Education. 20 May 2019.
  32. Web site: SUP THE SOUTH PACIFIC – EXPLORERS TAKE ON EASTER ISLAND. Dawson. Robyn. 8 February 2018. Red Paddle Co. 20 May 2019.
  33. Web site: Paddle Round… A Pacific Island. Laughton. Neil. 10 January 2018. Platinum Publishing Group. 20 May 2019.
  34. Web site: Eighth Summit Expedition to the Watkins Mountains, Greenland 01-23 May 2005 Post Expedition Report. Jones. Stephen. May 2005. The Explorers Club. 20 May 2019.
  35. Web site: Adventurer Neil Laughton ready to take his flying car to Timbuktu. Pavia. Will. 14 January 2009. The Times. 19 May 2019.
  36. News: By flying car from London to Timbuktu. Sheerin. Jude. 12 January 2009. BBC News. 19 May 2019.
  37. News: Flying car team set off on trip from London to Timbuktu. 14 January 2009. The Telegraph. 19 May 2019.
  38. Web site: THE SHACKLETON MEMORIAL EXPEDITION 2001. 2001. James Caird Society. 19 May 2019.
  39. Web site: The Importance of Being Ernest. Laughton. Neil.
  40. News: Captain Scott commemorative South Pole cricket game won by UK. 17 January 2012. BBC. 20 May 2019.
  41. News: A Very British Polar Expedition. Miles. Jeremy. 12 December 2012. Dorset Magazine. 20 May 2019.
  42. News: US Coast Guard rescue two British adventurers stranded on sea ice in Alaska. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307182408/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12184962/Helicopter-rescues-two-British-adventurers-stranded-on-sea-ice-in-Alaska.html. dead. 7 March 2016. 6 March 2016. The Telegraph. 19 May 2019.
  43. News: Footage shows dramatic rescue of British adventurers stranded on ice while crossing Bering Strait. Logan. Ross. 6 March 2016. Mirror. 19 May 2019.
  44. News: British explorers describe harrowing rescue from Bering Strait. Russell. Emily. 5 March 2016. Anchorage Daily News. 19 May 2019.
  45. News: Rescue airlift for British pair trapped on Alaska ice. 6 March 2016. ITV eEws. 19 May 2019.
  46. Web site: Close Calls on Camera. Series 5, episode 8. 7 June 2018. BBC. 20 May 2019.
  47. Web site: Founder. The Penny Farthing Club. 19 May 2019.
  48. Web site: How to go really fast on a penny farthing without dying: a training session with the record breakers. Ough. Tom. 14 June 2018. The Telegraph. 19 May 2019.
  49. News: Mark Beaumont breaks British Penny Farthing record. 15 June 2018. BBC News. 19 May 2019.
  50. Web site: Mark Beaumont to take on 132-year-old penny farthing Hour Record. Robertshaw. Henry. 14 May 2018. Cycling Weekly. 19 May 2019.
  51. Web site: Feargal McKay . The Penny Hour - The Last Hour Record Set On A High-Wheeled Bicycle . 30 January 2018 . PodiumCafe.com . 2018-02-01.
  52. Web site: From penny-farthings to pounds. John O'Groat Journal. Scott. David G.. 13 August 2019 . 13 Aug 2019.
  53. Web site: UK Rider Chris Opie Breaks 133-Year-Old Penny Farthing Hour Record. 15 October 2019. Cycling West. 26 March 2020.
  54. Web site: Guinness World Record Fastest speed on a penny farthing bicycle (no hands). November 2019. Guinness World Records. 24 January 2020.
  55. Web site: Guinness World Record Fastest 10 km on a penny farthing bicycle (no hands). November 2019. Guinness World Records. 24 January 2020.
  56. Web site: November 2019. Guinness World Record Farthest distance on a penny farthing bicycle in one hour (no hands). 24 January 2020. Guinness World Records.