Chairty challenges don't get much tougher for this Essex farmer

Charity challenges don’t come much tougher than this - ski trekking 100 nautical miles to the South Pole in temperatures as low as minus 40°C, pulling all your supplies and equipment by sledge.

But that’s the feat of endurance facing Essex farmer Chris Philpot, who remarkably has only had one week to prepare for this adventure of a lifetime.

This week he joined a group who have been training for up to two years for the Endurance South Pole 100 Expedition. The team, led by David Hempleman-Adams, is setting off to complete 100 miles of the route to the South Pole that explorer Ernest Shackleton should have travelled 100 years earlier.

Chris said: “It’s absolutely insane but if you’re given an opportunity you have to take it.

“I called someone on Saturday 14 November to wish them well for the trek, only to be told that somebody had dropped out and asked if I would like to come.

“After discussing it with my wife, Annette, over that weekend I decided on the Monday to join the group and it’s been completely manic since then. To go from nothing last week to flying out with a group of Antarctic explorers today is frightening, it really is.”

Chris, former chairman of the NFU’s Chelmsford branch, farms in a family business that includes Barleylands Farm at Billericay. He is raising money for Essex Air Ambulance and Breast Cancer Now.

“I know that the farm will be in good hands. We have really great staff and I couldn’t do it without them. I'm very grateful to everyone who has worked hard to make this happen at such short notice,” he said.

“I haven’t set any fund-raising targets but I’m asking for donations for Breast Cancer Now and Essex Air Ambulance. The air ambulance has never had anybody go to the South Pole before!”

Chris Philpot charity trekThe group are flying to Chile and onto Union Glacier, Antarctica for training before being dropped off and trekking the last 100 nautical miles to the South Pole.

The trek will involve pulling all their own supplies on a sledge, erecting tents and cooking in temperatures of between -28C and -40C, at an altitude of 3,000m, for up to three weeks, with a planned return in time for Christmas.