Jim recently met with SPRI’s Director, Julian Dowdeswell. He’s very well-known and thought of in polar circles and was very positive when pushed to consider how SPRI might publically acknowledge the re-establishing and new position of The Northern Pole of Inaccessibility. The aim is to get them on board as a supporting body.
HRH PRINCESS ANNE VERY KINDLY AGREES TO BE THE EXPEDITION PATRON.
Team member Lee Howell (Chief Fire Officer for Devon and Somerset) very kindly wrote to HRH Princess Anne on our behalf with a view to asking her to be our expedition patron. I’m delighted to say she has agreed and will hopefully play an active role of some sort in the New Year. Ideally it would be fantastic if she were willing to officially open the London Ice Station.
THE MAYOR’S OFFICE CONSIDER HOSTING THE ICE STATION OUTSIDE CITY HALL.
Boris Johnson’s Office is currently reviewing the idea of hosting the London Ice Station (LIS) next to City Hall. This is a great position with high footfall and potential visitor traffic – should satisfy any sponsor in terms of exposure!
THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY CONSIDER GRANTING APPROVAL STATUS TO THE EXPEDITION.
Our Grant Application has gone through to RGS and we now await their verdict. Jim's concern is that they may view the expedition to be more about science than geography but he would argue that if climate change is not geography then what is? We anxiously await their verdict. It would be really nice to have them as a supporting organisation.
ICE WARRIOR APPROACHES THE MET OFFICE FOR THEIR SUPPORT.
Again through Lee Howell we are approaching the Met Office to come on board as official weather providers and to participate in the education side of the LIS.
RAY MOLONY JOINS ICE WARRIOR PROJECT AS EDUCATION OFFICER.
Jim is delighted to announce that highly experienced and respected educationalist, Ray Molony is joining Ice Warrior as Education Officer. This is fantastic. It has always been a real dream of his to have proper education materials for audiences to follow us and learn at the same time. We will be drawing up careful plans in the next few weeks in readiness for the Arctic Pole Expedition.
Past work of Ray’s can be viewed at www.discoveringthearctic.org.uk
BBC SCOTLAND CONSIDER TV DOCUMENTARY
The frustrations of trying to tie down a TV documentary were eased a little this week with a positive response being received from Executive Producer Neil McDonald at BBC Scotland. This would be good as they produced the excellent series “Coast”. Also in the wings and equally as good is the possibility of a BBC3 /Open University production.
ZAC GOLDSMITH KINDLY LENDS HIS SUPPORT
Way back last year sometime Jim gave a brief speech at Kingston University and found myself on the same panel as former editor of the Ecologist magazine, Zac Goldsmith. We are delighted to say that without any need to pester Zac has very kindly come on board as a supporter of the expedition and will help out wherever he can. Huge thanks, Zac. Message of support:
"Jim and his team are not only undertaking an extraordinary Great British endeavour in the true, traditional sense of the phrase, but they are doing it with genuine purpose. The data they’ll gather will deliver new evidence as to what is really happening and further our understanding of the sea-ice and its effect on climate change. I’m delighted to support them and wish them well.
Best wishes and best of luck!
Zac "
THE SEARCH FOR SPONSORS INTENSIFIES
With all the developments above we are getting into more corporations who can potentially sponsor the expedition. This is really good BUT we still need to open more doors and this is where everyone can help. Please, please if you know of any potentially interested corporation or philanthropists, do let me know as soon as you can and we’ll give them the opportunity to find out what it is all about.
Contact Jim directly on 01344 883861 or 0777 565 1471
Very best regards to all and thanks, as ever, for being a part of this huge endeavour.
Jim and the team – Ian, Ali, Lee, Dom, Simon
