Temperatures of -40 degrees C and even a broken arm didn't stop trading director Andrew Carnie and his team in their race to the pole to raise a quarter of a million for homeless charity Centrepoint.


Battling wind speeds of up to 80mph and -40C temperatures, dragging 75kgs of food and equipment a day, as well as suffering a fractured arm during the expedition, Team Homebase completed their epic journey over 745km.

The team undertook the expedition in a bid to realise a childhood dream for Mr Carnie and to raise £250,000 for Centrepoint, the homeless charity providing emergency accommodation and shelter for young people in London.

"It was the hardest thing I have ever encountered," said Mr Carnie. "We trained for months on end, but the cold, the landscape and the various misadventures we had along the way made it so difficult, but at no point did I think we wouldn’t complete it."

The race took 23 days to complete. A Norwegian team was first to the pole, breaking a new Extreme World Races record, but unlike many of the teams, Homebase's Mr Carnie was a relative novice, having 'only' run the North Pole marathon in 2010.

"Centrepoint does an excellent job... The thought of raising essential money for them kept us going through some of the low points but it was worth doing everything we did to help make a difference."

Homebase has also been supporting Andrew's Centrepoint Race to the Pole campaign in other ways. Mr Carnie said: "Homebase kindly agreed to be a sponsor for my endeavour and colleagues have been very generous in their support and getting behind various events."

The retailer has been involved in providing work experience opportunities for homeless people through Centrepoint's Workwise initiative.

"The workwise initiative is powerful because it gives young people their first experience of the working world, helps persuade them to believe they are employable and provides invaluable experience for their next job application," explained Mr Carnie. "Simple, practical support like this can dramatically change lives."

So far Team Homebase has raised more than £200,000 for Centrepoint. It's not too late to sponsor - to help the team reach their goal of £250,000 visit www.justgiving.com/South-Pole-Race-2012

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