'I was very excited to be undertaking the VocaLink North
Pole Challenge especially as it meant that I could help the Forces
Children's Trust (FCT) in raising funds this year. This is a unique
charity devoted to helping dependant children whose mother or
father has died, or has been seriously injured, whilst serving as a
member of the British Armed Forces.
I completed my challenge by reaching the North Pole on the 13th
of April. And with the help of the British public and my sponsors
VocaLink, I raised £10,000 for the Forces Children's
Trust!
Thanks to all those who topped up a mobile phone at an ATM
during my expedition helping me raise vital funds for this
worthwhile cause.'
The Challenge
Bonita's challenge was a month long expedition to the
geographic North Pole, she set off on Thursday 31 March
on a trip that only a select few make it to each year.
The Geographic North Pole is northernmost point on Earth, lying
diametrically opposite the South Pole.
While the South Pole lies on a continental land mass, the North Pole is located in the
middle of the Arctic Ocean
amidst waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly
shifting sea ice. In recent years, a number of studies have
predicted that the North Pole may become seasonally ice-free due to
Arctic
shrinkage, with timescales varying from a few years to fifty
years or more.
Ex-serviceman Alan Chamber MBE lead Bonita's expedition.
Travelling across polar ice required skiing and sledging for around
8 hours per day, a lot of patience and agility was required to deal
with the many obstacles she met over the course of each day.