Cornish sailor and adventurer, Pete Goss has given another boost to the profile of the Cornwall Playing for Success Charity, which he is promoting through his entry in the two-handed Round Britain and Ireland yacht race with Paul Larsen. But the latest challenging venture wasn’t on water – it was just a quick trip to the North Pole!

Pete planted the Playing for Success flag at the North Pole yesterday at 13:05 hours BST, when he and team mate Alan Chambers MBE led a team of enthusiastic amateurs to the top of the world.

It has been an exciting adventure with many challenges. Having acclimatised at Longyearbyen (polar bear country) they flew to Camp Barneo, the Russian base camp, starting the walk towards the Pole on 10 April. The team have battled against very strong and freezing-cold winds (minus 27 degrees), with occasional ‘white-outs’ making the going very slow through the soft snow – at one point the team covered just 0.7 miles in two hours. Drifting currents also saw them lose much of what they had gained as they floated away from their goal each night, but as the sledge-pulling days carried on they were making good progress towards the Pole.

Unfortunately, one of the walkers, David Farley, came down with a chest infection, which although not serious back home, has to be treated with extreme care in the Arctic. As such, he was airlifted out by helicopter on 14 April. Building ice bridges to cross several ‘leads’ (gaps in the ice), the rest of the team pushed on, taking comfort from some Cognac-filled Easter Eggs to fuel their progress!

Finally arriving at the North Pole on 17 April, the 9-strong team planted the Union Jack and flags of each of the charities they are supporting, before settling down to a bacon sandwich and admiring a view others seldom get to see.

Pete Goss said: “I am really proud of the team and what they have achieved. It has been an exhausting and exciting adventure, but well worth the effort. I am especially pleased to see Cornwall Playing for Success on top of the world and look forward to taking the Charity around Britain and Ireland when I get back.”