Welcome to the Hilary Lister fan site!

This site is dedicated to one of the most amazing women out there!! Hillary Lister!

Hilary Lister (born 1972) is a record-breaking quadriplegic sailor from Kent, England. She suffers from the progressive condition reflex sympathetic dystrophy and controls her ship by sucking and blowing tubes for steering and sails.

Lister was able-bodied until the age of 15. She studied biochemistry at Jesus College, Oxford between 1991 and 1995, having lost the use of her legs by then. She started a PhD at the University of Kent in 1996 but her condition deteriorated. She lost the use of her arms in 1999 and was unable to finish her doctorate (but has since been awarded an honorary doctorate by the university). She was introduced to sailing in 2003, which she says gave her life "new meaning and purpose".

On 23 August 2005, Lister was the first quadriplegic to sail solo across the English Channel (in 6 hours and 13 minutes). On 24 July 2007, she became the first female quadriplegic to sail solo around the Isle of Wight (in 11 hours 4 minutes). She won the Sunday Times Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration in 2005. She set off to sail solo around Britain on 16 June 2008.[1] Bad weather and technical problems led to the attempt being suspended on 13 August 2008.[2]

On the 21st of May 2009 Hilary restarted her sail from Plymouth. By 14th August she had reached Bridlington on England’s east coast. She reached the end of her journey, Dover in Kent, on the evening of 31st August 2009.

Awards Winner of the Vitalise "Woman of Achievement" Award, 2009 Winner of Breast cancer Breakhrough Aspirational non-celebrity, 2009 Winner of the Cosmopolitan Superhero Award - Cosmopolitan Fun & Fearless Women Winner of the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration - Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year 2007 Winner of The Royal Cruising Club's Seamanship Award, 2005 Winner of A Woman of the Year 2005-2006 - Women of the Year Charity Winner of Woman of the Year 2006 – New Woman Magazine Other Recognition Awarded an honorary PhD by the University of Kent at Canterbury 2007 Made a UK Sailing Academy Ambassador 2006

 

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