Shaun Weston, managing director of offsite construction company, British Offsite, has completed a 110-kilometre ski to the South Pole, raising over £113,000 for St Clare Hospice in Essex.
Shaun undertook the impressive nine-day challenge this January as part of an 18-month-long programme of fundraising for the hospice on behalf of British Offsite (part of the Weston Group, enduring temperatures as low as -35°C. Shaun’s ski expedition was the equivalent distance of travelling from Cambridge to Birmingham while hauling his equipment, testing both physical endurance and mental resilience while burning around 8,000 calories a day.
Shaun’s fundraising effort is the latest in a long-standing relationship between St Clare Hospice and The Weston Group, with the hospice having supported close friends and team members and their families. The South Pole expedition was undertaken to both raise funds and further strengthen awareness of the specialist care and compassionate support the hospice provides to the local Essex community.
The money he has raised will go towards covering the cost of 518 nights of specialist care for families caring for a loved one at home at the end of their life.
Over the last 18 months, Shaun’s fundraising has included a family fun walk, a charity golf day, a boxing spar-a-thon, a gala dinner and taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks. The Antarctic expedition marked the culmination of a long-held personal ambition for Shaun, who has set himself the goal of visiting all seven continents.
Shaun joined an international group of seven participants for the final 110km journey to 90 degrees south, with the expedition organised and led by specialist polar adventure company Adventure Peaks. The group undertook the adventure from 4th to 18th in January. Of the seven who began the expedition, Shaun and three others successfully completed the full route to the South Pole.
Upon reaching the South Pole and completing the 110km expedition, Shaun described a deep sense of pride and relief at having achieved a long-held ambition while raising significant funds for St Clare Hospice.
Shaun Weston said: “Completing the journey to the South Pole has been a real bucket list achievement for me, and to have done it while raising such vital funds for St Clare Hospice makes it even more meaningful. It was an immense physical and mental challenge, but knowing that the funds raised will directly support such an important local charity kept me focused throughout.”
“I chose to support St Clare Hospice because of the long-standing relationship it has with Weston Homes and the personal impact it has had on people within our wider business community. Hospices are the fourth emergency service, they provide a vital and compassionate part of our healthcare system, supporting individuals and families at the most difficult time in their lives. Yet they remain significantly underfunded and often underappreciated for the role they play. If this expedition can help raise awareness as well as funds, then it has been more than worthwhile”.
Rosie Knowles, deputy CEO of St Clare Hospice, said: “Shaun has truly blown us all away over the past year with the scale of his commitment, not only to this extraordinary South Pole expedition but to the many months of training and fundraising that led up to it. From running laps around us dressed as a penguin with a boombox on his back during the Penguin Icy Walk, to keeping our staff updated on his progress from one of the most remote places on earth, he has inspired everyone at the hospice every step of the way.”
“To take on such an immense physical and mental challenge and raise more than £113,000 so far is nothing short of phenomenal. Fundraising of this scale makes a real and lasting difference to the patients and families we care for every day. As a charity, we rely heavily on the generosity and determination of supporters like Shaun to ensure we can continue providing compassionate, specialist care, free of charge to our local community. We are incredibly proud to have had him flying the flag for St Clare Hospice at the South Pole.”
