Our group of 14 intrepid adventurers survived the UHCW Charity Arctic Challenge! Our amazing team survived three nights outside in sub-zero temperatures, raising an incredible £20,000 for our patients and their families.
After travelling to northern Sweden, the group spent a couple of days acclimating to the cold, learning how to chop down trees and make fires to boil snow for water. They began their first night outside by sleeping in a tepee, with temperatures plummeting down to -10 degrees. Every night, each member of the team spent an hour on watch throughout the night, ensuring the safety of the rest of the team.
After a very broken sleep, the next day was spent foraging in the Swedish wilderness, before building shelters from tree trunks and branches, ready to sleep in for their next night.
After another remarkably cold night, the group woke at dawn, eager to get moving and warm up. Today was the day to construct a snow hole! Throughout the week, the group had been compacting large mounds of snow, leaving the outermost layer to freeze.
The team spent all day digging out the snow mounds, creating an outer shell of frozen snow with space to sleep in. The final evening of the survival phase saw the group even more exposed to the elements, braving icy cold temperatures as low as -19C.
At around 2am, those who were struggling to sleep were treated to a spectacular display of the aurora borealis, making an incredible survival experience, even more special.
“It was really, really hard but also one of the best things I have ever done,” said Dr Amie Burbridge, a Consultant in Acute Medicine.
“Sleeping in a frozen sleeping bag was really tough. The nearest town was miles away but the scenery and sky were beautiful.
We had a lot of fun; I haven’t laughed as much in years. There was lots of singing and dancing, it really got people out of their shells – and kept us warm at the same time!”
With no access to electricity or running water, the group were pushed both physically and mentally to their limits.
But the determination to make things better for our patients and their families spurred them on during a never-to-be-forgotten experience.
UHCW Charity Director Jo O’Sullivan said: “It was such a great group that really supported each other and everyone pulled together to cope with the freezing overnight temperatures.
“The incredible work of our teams at UHCW save lives every day – I am always bowled over by their hard work and dedication and that kept us going.
“A huge thank you to everyone who took part and to those who sponsored our amazing participants – those donations will have a huge impact.”
Funds raised by participants of the Arctic Challenge will support their chosen departments within University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust, supported by UHCW Charity.
Our amazing adventurers’ fundraising efforts were even featured on BBC News! Read the article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5dg2dqmvjo
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