Hi, thanks for coming this far!

This January, seven colleagues and I will be embarking on an Arctic Endurance Challenge in the depths of the Artic winter and would love your support!

We're raising money for a charity that is close to all our hearts, The National Literacy Trust. The NLT does vitally important work with children and young people to give them the best possible start and improve the opportunities available to them in their adult life.

I'm lucky enough to have grown up in a home full of books and that has allowed me to end up working in an industry I love. This is not the case for every child in the UK.

Did you know that the number of children aged 5-8 who don’t own a book is currently 1 in 5 (20%) and this number is rising?

Were you aware that this September, nine children in every reception class started school without the ability to communicate effectively, disadvantaging young people from the very beginning of their schooling?

(You can read more about the NLT's work below.)

So, what on earth are we going to do?!

The Arctic Challenge is a four-day endurance expedition inside the Arctic Circle.

The accommodation is a basic base camp lodge with no electricity, internet or home comforts.

We'll spend 4 days in sub-zero temperatures with a maximum of 5 hours of daylight per day.

Each day we'll undergo various endurance challenges including:

• A gruelling 20 km cross-country skilling race, which is going to require some serious training!

• A 35 km dog sledding time trial in sub zero temperatures

• An orienteering challenge finishing on a frozen lake, boring a hole through which to fish for dinner

THE COST OF LITERACY CRISIS

• The number of children who don’t own a book is 1 in 5 (20%) 5-8 year olds, and this number is rising.

• Last year, over 185,000 5-year-olds in England started school without the communication and language skills they need to thrive.

• Low literacy has lifelong consequences. Not only affects learning, confidence and wellbeing during their early school days, but means children are MUCH more likely to struggle with their GCSEs and end up unemployed by their 30s.

• The disadvantage gap in early literacy skills is costing England over £800 Million a year

• 9 children in every single reception class is already falling behind

HOW THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST CAN HELP

• There are already projects and people placed in disadvantaged communities supporting families, filling libraries, training teachers and helping school leavers into their first jobs.

• Donations will go to expanding this vital work to change more stories in priority areas.

• Where you were born and how wealthy your parents are shouldn’t dictate where you end up.

• Empowering more children to shape their own future.