AFTER travelling 7,000km from Arctic Russia, tracking the migration route of the Bewick’s swan, a Slimbridge wildlife researcher will be named as one of Britain’s Women of the Year.
Sacha Dench had been tracking the route of the swan in a bid to gain a greater understanding of why the species’ numbers are declining.
She touched down in the playing fields behind Slimbridge Primary School on December 16 after a mammoth 7,000km journey from the swans’ breeding grounds in Arctic Russia.
Sacha, 42, had been following their route in a paramotor, a motorised paraglider.
Now she will be named as one of Britain’s Women of the Year at a prestigious lunch to celebrate ‘2017 Woman of Achievement’ – hosted by committee president Sandi Toksvig.
“It’s an honour to be recognised alongside these inspirational and extraordinary women and I cannot wait to share this special day with them,” she said.
“WWT carries out important conservation work.
“Flying for 7,000km alongside migrating Bewick’s swans has helped to highlight the plight of this iconic bird.
“It was an incredible experience and there were many brilliant women behind the scenes who made this unbelievable journey possible.”
Sacha joins a long list of celebrated women that includes Eimear McBride, Ellen MacArthur, Fern Britton, Dame Harriet Walter, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Julie Walters CBE, Lindsay Lohan, Lulu, Mel Giedroyc, Nadiya Hussein, Nicole Kidman, Professor Mary Beard, Sally Lindsay Lohan and Theresa May.
This year’s celebratory lunch will take place on Monday (October 16) at the InterContinental Hotel, Park Lane, London.
The Women of the Year scheme started in 1955 and aims to “shine a light on ordinary women, doing extraordinary work.”
Sandi Toksvig, president of Women of the Year, said: "I’m looking forward to the honour of welcoming these incredible women to the Lunch in October.
“These women are making a huge difference in their own way, and it’s important that we celebrate such extraordinary work.
“I would love to show the room to every schoolgirl growing up in Britain today and tell them 'you can be whatever you want to be: just look at these incredible women'.”
Exceptional women will receive special awards at the lunch for being an inspiration to others, demonstrated by their courage, selflessness and dedication.
Previous Women of the Year winners include:
- Baroness Doreen Lawrence, campaigner for justice following the murder of her son Stephen
- Christina Noble, founder of The Christina Noble Children’s Foundation
- Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, astrophysicist
- Fahma Mohammed, anti-FGM activist
- Jayne Senior MBE, Rotherham sexual abuse whistle-blower
- Katie Piper, who set up a charity to help burns survivors after being victim of a brutal acid attack
- Kris Hallenga, breast cancer awareness campaigner and co-founder of Coppafeel!
- Liz Clegg, a volunteer who has fought to reduce the plight of women and children living in the Calais Jungle.
- Marjorie Wallace CBE, British writer, broadcaster, investigative journalist, and Chief Executive of SANE
- Seema Aziz, founder of CARE foundation Pakistan, a not-for-profit organization that is on a mission to provide quality education to all
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