Camfed Team Conquers the Arctic

Record-breaking polar explorer and Camfed board member, Caroline Hamilton, faced one of her toughest challenges yet when she led a team of Camfed supporters across the ice. Caroline, who has already conquered the North and South Poles as part of the first all-women team, lead the all-women Camfed team on an amazing adventure.“There were moments that I questioned my sanity. I was so cold, tired and exhausted I really had to push myself to put one foot in front of the other.”Hauling sledges of more than their own bodyweights, the intrepid team of Caroline and fellow Camfed trustee, Maud Blair, Camfed’s Executive Director Ann Cotton and her daughter Helen, and friend of Camfed, Zoe Hudson, set out across the frozen wastelands from Longyearbyen, one of Norway’s outlying islands.

For five days, this band of brave women battled across the ice, living on chocolate and bags of freeze dried food, sleeping in tents, in temperatures of less than - 5 degrees Celsius. Ann reflects:

“There were moments that I questioned my sanity. I was so cold, tired and exhausted I really had to push myself to put one foot in front of the other.”

But it was all worth it in the end as the trip raised over £9000 to support girls to go to school.

The team members bid for the Arctic trip at Camfed’s 10th anniversary event last March. If their story inspires you to do something different this year, why don’t you take up the challenge to conquer the icecaps of Iceland, trek the Great Wall of China, or scale Mount Kilimanjaro for Camfed? Charity Challenges offer you a fantastic opportunity to raise money to help more girls go to school whilst taking part in the experience of a lifetime. If you are interested, email info@camfed.org or call Camfed on +44 (0)1223 362648.