Helen Skelton joined the Blue Peter team in the summer of 2008, as the 33rd presenter of the long running show. During this time Helen has achieved some remarkable feats, and made a name for herself as the team's all action girl. Her experiences and determination are an inspiration to others, which make her perfect for motivational and after-dinner speaking.
In 2009 she became only the second woman ever to complete the Namibia Ultra Marathon, and two weeks later she was back in her running shoes, taking part in the London Marathon for Leonard Cheshire Disability. She has climbed out of a moulin on an Alaskan glacier, beaten a world power boat champion and come in 6th place in the UK Women's Downhill Skateboarding Championships. To say she is game is an understatement!
In 2010 she kayaked 2,010 miles down the Amazon in support of Sport Relief. Along the way she broke two Guinness World Records; the longest solo journey by kayak, and the longest kayak by a woman in 24 hours. A two-part Blue Peter special documenting her trip was shown in the run up to the Sport Relief weekend.
More recently, for Comic Relief 2011, Helen decided to train in the art of high wire walking and completed a spectacular 150 metre long, 66 metre high walk between the towers of Battersea Power Station. 'Girl on Wire' was aired as a BBC1 special, and it led to her being nominated for Best Presenter at the 2011 Children's BAFTAs.
Helen completed The Polar Challenge, in aid of Sport Relief 2012. The feat saw her tackling the icy and treacherous 500 mile Antarctica terrain to reach the South Pole, using skis, kite skis and an ice bike, battling for 18 days through severe snow storms, temperatures as low as -48C and a bad bout of dehydration. She also set a new world record for the fastest 100km by kite ski - in seven hours 28 minutes.
Helen's other presenting credits include her covering the London Marathons in 2010 and 2011 as part of the BBC 5 Live team. Since then she has reported from the Epsom Derby and Wimbledon Championships for the station. During the two week tennis tournament she co-presented a daily podcast with Jeff Tarango for the 5 Live website, rounding up all the day's action both on and off court.
Having grown up on a farm in the Lake District, it was inevitable that Helen would return to her rural roots, and over the last year has reported for Country Tracks and more recently joined the Countryfile team.
Helen is available for a variety of corporate work, from awards hosting to motivational and after-dinner speaking. Helen can speak about her inspirational Amazon Adventure and other exploits for a variety of audiences, tailoring her speech for each client. Previous corporate work has included her writing a feature for The Sunday Telegraph sponsored by Range Rover, hosting the Tollymore National Outdoor Centre launch event, speaking at the Kendal Mountain Festival, delivering a presentation at the NHS Cumbria AGM, and working with Bupa Team Telegraph when she captained and mentored three 'Team Telegraph' members to run the 2010 Bupa Great North and South Runs.
"Last week was a great success, Helen was fantastic and what a lovely girl she is too! Her tight rope walking was on the BBC news this morning¦ She's so brave!" Helen hosted the Bernard Matthews Youth Awards, February 2011