The materials will be used to construct two specially engineered cabooses (sledge mounted living quarters) which will house the six-man team and their equipment and fuel for the 2,000-mile journey. During the expedition the will have to withstand temperatures as low as -90oC, and travel mostly in complete darkness.
In addition to the materials from merchant Travis Perkins, kitchen specialist Benchmarx Kitchen & Joinery supplied a custom-built kitchen and storage accessories designed to use the limited space within one of the cabooses.
The Coldest Journey, which was get under way on December 6, is the first attempt to cross Antarctica during the polar winter. The aim is to raise £6m for Seeing is Believing, a charity set up by Standard Chartered and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to tackle avoidable blindness. However, the team will also undertake scientific tasks to provide data on marine life, oceanography, meteorology and the effect of climate change on the poles.
