Adventurer Tori James, the first Welsh woman to reach the summit of Everest, encouraged charity lunch guests to step outside their comfort zones, when she was guest speaker at an event organised by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions.

Motivational speaker Tori, who at 25 was the youngest British woman to climb the world's highest mountain, was main speaker at the charity event in aid of the Welsh homelessness charity Llamau, which raised £2,300 including from a raffle and auction at the event.

Tori, from Pembrokeshire, who is also a keen kayaker, spoke of the monumental efforts of securing funds to mount the attempt on Everest faced with widespread negativity.

She also told of the fears and doubts she had to overcome ahead of the adventure and against advice had read all the books on the ascent.

Finally, securing finding with days to go and after acclimatisation involving repeated climbs up and down to various base camps she described how she was in tears of dread before leaving her tent for the final time. After a final inspirational listen to music from Amy Winehouse Tori set off on her final ascent of the terrifying mountain.

Advising her audience to step outside their comfort zone in their daily lives the expectant mum she said: “I never dreamed I would be able to achieve what I did when I stepped outside my comfort zone.”

Frances Beecher, chief executive of Llamau, spoke about the work of the homelessness charity, which last year cared for some 8,144 homeless young people and vulnerable women in Wales.

Paul Fosh, of Paul Fosh Auctions, himself an extreme sports Arctic adventurer, said: “I was thrilled to be able to get Tori to come along to talk at our charity lunch. She is such an inspiration to us all in what she set out to do and what she achieved over the years.”