Laura Bingham

Laura Bingham was born and brought up in the English countryside and is the youngest of four sisters. While growing up, she enjoyed numerous family trips to South Africa, exploring different cultures. Bingham also attended a South African school for a short term, strengthening her passion for travel and exploring other parts of the world.[2] She attended Westgate secondary school and then Peter Symonds college in Winchester, her home town. Bingham wrote a list of everything that she wanted to do in her life. She left home at the age of 18 to travel the world and made it her mission to complete as many of these goals as possible.[2]

In 2014 Bingham travelled to Mexico where she taught English with her TEFL qualification. Whilst in Mexico she also became involved with jaguar conservation work with the government. Throughout these four months Bingham learnt Spanish to an intermediate level.

Having then earned enough money to return to Britain, in May 2014 Bingham opted out of flying home and instead chose to sail the Atlantic as part of a crew (two men and a cat called Cuba) for a 38 ft Trimaran which took 2 months.[2]

In January 2016, Bingham travelled across South America from west coast to east coast by bike. Sir Ranulph Fiennes commented that 'Laura is a very brave person, this is a risky undertaking.'[2] With only the equipment she could carry with her, she cycled 7,000 km over 164 days, from Manta on the Pacific coast of Ecuador, through Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay, to arrive at her final destination in Buenos Aires, on Argentina's Atlantic coast, on 1 July 2016. Bingham journeyed across South America with no money, relying on human kindness and generosity, whilst raising awareness for the UK based charity Operation South America.[3][4][5][6]

In April 2018, Bingham conceived, organised and led the first-ever descent of the Essequibo River in Guyana. Contrary to the expedition's own knowledge, when they arrived in the Wai Wai village to begin their journey the Wai Wai told them that they would be the first people ever to visit the source of the river. A German-Guyanese expedition had claimed the feat but the Wai Wai explained that that expedition had run out of time and "faked" reaching the source . As a result, Bingham, alongside expedition members Pip Stewart and Ness Knight and their Wai Wai guides, became the first team to visit the source and then paddle the entire river to the Atlantic Ocean.[7]

Laura is an Ambassador for the Children's Air Ambulance charity, which flies critically ill children across the UK to the specialist care they need.[8]

Bingham lives in Leicestershire, England with her husband and fellow explorer, Ed Stafford.

On 6 June 2017, Stafford announced via Twitter that Bingham had given birth to a baby boy.[9]

• Laura Bingham on Twitter