Local husband and wife team doctor Adam Baker and Doctor Charlie Fleury relish a challenge in the name of charity.
The pair previously completed a gruelling 3,000-mile row across the Atlantic and a 1683-mile partial circumnavigation row around Great Britain.
This year the pair will undertake the formidable Archipelago Yachts Polar Swim challenge.
This challenge entails swimming a kilometre in the freezing waters of both the Arctic Circle and Antarctica, in nothing more than a conventional swimsuit and cap where water temperatures are likely to range between -1°C and 4°C.
To date this feat has only been achieved by 12 people, such are the challenges of cold-water shock, hypothermia and not to mention the ever-present threat of Orcas, Leopard Seals and Polar Bears!
With their minds and bodies already adapted to stress and sleep deprivation, they wanted to push themselves further physiologically and psychologically to the absolute limits and achieve seemingly impossible goals.
Dr Adam Baker, who works as a Palliative Care Doctor at Weston Hospicecare, says: “I’m passionate about helping people overcome the enormous challenges they may face, and I am immensely proud to be part of the team here at Weston Hospicecare which does such an exceptional job supporting people with life limiting conditions and their families across North Somerset and Somerset.”
“That’s why we have chosen them as one of the benefitting charities. We are also passionate about ocean conservation so are also raising funds for the Ocean Conservation Trust, with an overall target of £20,000.”
The challenge will begin in September with the first swim in the Arctic Circle just off Svalbard, Norway, followed by the second swim in Antarctica in November. The pair will literally battle the elements swimming in the harshest environments on the planet, but they can’t do it all on their own, they need your help.
Charlie added: “Reaching our fundraising target for our amazing charities would be incredible. We would be delighted if people would help by donating via our website.”
