My daughter on her way to North Pole record

PROUD Watchet mother Julian Burbury spoke yesterday (Wednesday) of the bravery being shown by her daughter, Hannah McKeand, who is attempting to become the first woman to reach the North Pole alone and unaided.
Hannah, aged 34, (pictured, right) who was raised in Watchet but now lives in Newbury, Berkshire, set off on Friday from Canada’s Ward Hunt Island hoping to cover the 478 miles to the pole in just 60 days.
Two years ago, Hannah set a new record - for both men and women - for the fastest solo ski trek to the South Pole in a time of 39 days, nine hours, and 33 minutes.
Now, Hannah will have to negotiate the frozen Arctic Ocean, at time swimming in a suit through waters as cold as minus 60 degrees and where floating ice can crumble and pile up into long ridges as high as a house.
She will ski, walk, and swim, and has to carry all her equipment, including pepper spray and a shotgun to ward off polar bears, and her provisions on a 120 kg pulk.
Hannah expects to burn up to 8000 calories a day - the equivalent of running a marathon every day – and to compensate for the weight loss she has had to put on three-and-a-half stone in preparation for the expedition.
Her provisions include a mixture of freeze dried meals and high calorie snacks such as chocolate, fudge, cheese, butter, salami, nuts, and oil.
Mrs Burbury told The Post how Hannah had spoken to her using an internet telephone just before setting off from the island.
She said: “I am very, very proud of her. I think it is wonderful and I am watching her progress and I think she is definitely going to do it.
“I think if she does not do it, then nobody else will.
“I have the computer on all the time to check her progress and she is going at a rate of knots. If she does it, I think it will be a record nobody else will beat.
“Ward Hunt Island is a piece of glacier which has been undisturbed for 3,000 years, but the aerial view shows the cracking that has started and it is coming apart, so Hannah might be the last person who is able to do this particular journey.”
While Hannah hopes to raise £5,000 for the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, she also still needs funds to help cover the actual cost of the expedition.
Anybody who wants to support her financially can send donations via West Somerset’s local radio station Quaywest FM, in Watchet.
Mrs Burbury said: “There are so many people who remember her, that I hope they will feel able to give something to help with the cost.”
Five years ago, British explorer Pen Hadow, then aged 41, became the first person to reach the North Pole unaided from Canada.

North Pole record attempt by former Watchet woman

ADVENTURER Hannah McKeand, who was brought up in Watchet, is to try to become the first woman to ski alone and unsupported to the North Pole.
Hannah, aged 34, whose mother Julian Burbury still lives in the town, last year set a record as the fastest person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.
Now, she has her sights set on an Arctic record which she will attempt in February of next year.
She plans to ski the 415 miles over shifting ice from Ward Hunt Island, on the northern coast of Canada, to the North Pole, alone and without support in 60 days.
Hannah, who now lives in Newbury, Berkshire, would also become only the second solo and unsupported person ever to complete the epic journey.
British explorer Pen Hadow is the only other person to have made it, making three attempts before he was successful in 2003.
Hannah said: “Although the distance is shorter than the South Pole route, the expedition is much tougher.
“The terrain is extremely rough and the ice drifts away from the Pole, so it is rather like being on a conveyor belt and your legs cover a lot more distance than you are moving forward.
“I have huge respect for the environment that I will be immersed in.
“There are many risks to be assessed and managed and a lot of elements that are simply beyond one’s control.
“But I think with proper planning and preparation I have a good chance of success.
“I have spent several weeks training on the Arctic Ocean and I feel very motivated to get cracking, it is a fantastic place.”
Hannah said part of her success with polar expeditions was due to her physical make-up, being 6 ft 2 in tall and well-built.
She said: “I am able to gain significant weight before an expedition while at the same time reaching the necessary levels of fitness.
“This gives me a tremendous advantage in the polar environment. I am well insulated and able to travel on fewer calories than other lighter skiers.
“In addition to my physical make up, I have developed a solid mental approach to these expeditions.
“You have to be very driven, but at the same time, calm and methodical. I never feel more alive than I do alone in a huge icy wilderness.”
Hannah is one of the most experienced long distance skiers in the world and shares her experiences with people by giving talks to schools and corporate events, where she also spreads the environmental message on global warming.
She said: “Who better to talk about the deterioration of our ice caps than those of us who regularly spend time there and witness it first hand.
“Global warming is real and we have to act now. The environment is the responsibility of each and every one of us and I feel a responsibility to spread the word and encourage ordinary folk to get involved.”
Hannah is looking for sponsors to work with on her Polar record bid instead of funding the adventure herself as she has in the past.
She said: “It just seems like the right time. On the back of my new world record I really have something tangible to offer a sponsor.
“With my growing profile, it feels like I can make a really valuable contribution to a corporate relationship. I’ve never been interested in a free ride. I want to work with a company and feel like I am helping them achieve something.
“Apart from the more conventional sponsorship benefits such as brand placement and endorsement by somebody in my field, it would also be great to find a sponsorship relationship where my supporter has similar concerns and we could develop something together, maybe a schools tour and education programme or a corporate tour to encourage other companies to embrace their social responsibilities.”
Hannah and her partner David Pryce have also founded a new high latitude sailing company called Blizzard Expeditions to take people on explorations of the Southern Ocean regions.
More information about Hannah’s expeditions can be found on the website http://www.adventurehannah.com/, and more about Blizzard Expeditions is available at http://www.blizzardexpeditions.com/.

• Hannah is pictured on a trip to the Antarctic. Photo submitted.