Janice Meek
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Janice (Jan) Meek (formerly Janice Byles) FRGS (British, born 1944) is a Guinness World Record holding adventurer, ocean rower, international motivational speaker and soon to be polar explorer. In 1997 she took part in the first ever Atlantic Rowing Race, the Port St Charles Barbados Atlantic Rowing Race, successfully crossing the Atlantic Ocean unsupported in 23 foot wooden rowing boat in 101 days with her son Daniel Byles.
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[edit] Background
In the 1960s and early 1970s Meek worked (under her previous surname Byles) in the British film industry, initially in continuity and later as assistant to the producer [1]. She worked with many household names including Roger Moore, Ian McShane, Sammy Davis Junior and Jerry Lewis, and helped to make some iconic British television programs including Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Department S, The Champions and Catweazle.Her film credits include the 1970 film Puppet on a Chain and the 1972 film Pope Joan. After leaving the film industry to start a family, Meek moved to Saudi Arabia with her husband and two children where she worked for a time for the United States Geological Survey. In 1983, after separating from her husband, she returned to the UK and settled in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire where she opened a children’s clothes shop. Over the next ten years, Meek became the first female Chairman of the Chipping Norton Chamber of Commerce, was elected as a Town Councilor and then Town Mayor. She bought and ran a local restaurant, and was headhunted to become the small business representative on the Heart Of England Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) [2]. Since moving on from Chipping Norton, Meek has owned and run several restaurants, including the prestigious De Courceys in south Wales, and has been a wedding organiser and events manager.
[edit] Adventures and expeditions
[edit] Exploring China, Australia and the world
Following the death of Meek’s second husband in 1993, she sold her business in Chipping Norton and spent her fiftieth year backpacking around the world. She travelled to Taiwan in order to study Mandarin at the National Taiwan Normal University before spending several months struggling to explore China, which as a single female traveller was not easy. She then continued around the world, spending her fiftieth birthday at Cape Tribulation in Australia.
[edit] Atlantic rowing race 1997
After returning from her world trip, Meek was asked by her son Daniel Byles to join him in entering the world’s first ocean rowing race. Despite neither of them being rowers or sailors, she accepted and they went on to successfully row 3044 nautical miles from Tenerife to Barbados in their boat Carpe Diem. Their unsupported crossing took 100 days, 18 hours and 57 minutes. The story of their adventure has been recorded in at least three Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
In rowing across the Atlantic, the pair achieved two Guinness World Records: they became the first mother and son team to row any ocean [3]; and at 53 Meek became the oldest person at the time to row any ocean [4], although since 2005 this record has been held by Pavel Rezvoy (66) [5].
[edit] Polar race 2007
Ten years after their successful ocean row, Meek turned the tables on her son and asked him to join her in entering the Polar Race 2007, which he accepted. Meek now plans to take part in this event in April 2007, which will see her, her son and their third team mate Richard Profit, walk and ski 350 miles from Resolute Bay in Canada to the Magnetic North Pole. If successful she will set a new world record as the oldest woman ever to achieve this feat.
[edit] Motivational speaking
Following her successful Atlantic crossing in 1997, Meek entered the after dinner speaking circuit, where she discovered she had a knack for public speaking. As a lady over fifty Meek is an unorthodox adventurer, and this has lead to a career as a professional motivational speaker which she continues to this day.
[edit] Charities and organisations
Returning to the UK after rowing the Atlantic, Meek’s achievement was recognised when she was made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
For several years Meek served as a trustee of the Ocean Rowing Society, standing down from that position in 2005.
Meek is a founding trustee of The Carpe Diem Trust [6], a charity aimed at helping ordinary people to undertake extraordinary achievements.
[edit] Guinness world records
[edit] Previous records
- In 1997/8 Meek was awarded a Guinness World Record certificate for being the oldest person to row any ocean at the age of 53 (this record is now held by Pavel Rezvoy (66)).
- In 2006 Meek and her son Daniel Byles were belatedly awarded a Guinness World Record certificate for being the first mother and son team to row any ocean. [7]
[edit] Future record attempts
- In April 2007 Meek aims to become the oldest woman ever to walk/ski to the Magnetic North Pole at 62.
- During the same Polar expedition as above, Meek and her son Daniel Byles aim to become the first mother and son team to walk/ski to any Pole.
