On Sunday (March 29) I set off for the Canadian Arctic to take part in a race to the Magnetic North Pole. Over the next 5 weeks, my fellow team members (Julie and Lucas) and I will walk 350 miles pulling sleds weighing c.50kgs in temperatures of -30C (before windchill!).

The training has been hard work - getting up at 5am to pull tyres through central London, spending days in the countryside accompanied by my orange sled and, perhaps unsurprisingly, attracting some very strange looks! Whether this is preparation enough for trekking across frozen sea ice for 10 - 12 hours a day under the interested gaze of polar bears, we will shortly find out.....

This is a tremendous (albeit nerve-wracking!) challenge and something I am very excited about. It is also the perfect opportunity to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Relief, a charity which has given such incredible support to both family and friends over the years.

So please sponsor me!.....and, if you want to follow your money, you can log on to the Polar Race website and sign up for the daily emails www.polar-race.com.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Macmillan Cancer Support gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thank you very much for support

Arabella