Morton Fraser paralegal to set off on Arctic trek this March in aid of St Columba’s Hospice

Denise McKenzie, head of estate agency at Morton Fraser, is taking part in a trek to the Arctic Circle in March this year to raise money for St Columba’s Hospice. pulling her Pulk behind with all her gear and camping at night in temperatures which can get as low as -40 degrees celsius.

On March 2 Ms McKenzie will fly from Edinburgh to London, London to Helsinki and Helsinki to Rovaniemi in Finland. The following day will see the team of 14 do a kit check and acclimate themselves. Set off is on Saturday 4 March.

Ms McKenzie told Scottish Legal News: “We all pull our own ‘pulk’ or sled with a harness (no dogs) so the more stuff you take the heavier it will be! Travel light, travel fast is my mantra. There is a group taking us, with expedition leaders who will set up camp and have a hot meal ready for us. The leaders are of course highly trained and will have safety precautions in place. We will probably be walking about 8-10 hours a day but this really will depend on the weather and the speed of the group.

“During the day we will each be responsible for drinking and fuelling and will again have to carry what we will eat. We have had talks on cold weather injuries/frostbite/keeping warm so are well prepared on what to avoid and also expect. It will be very cold, we have to take a sleeping bag which can go down to -40 but I’m hoping it will be less than that!”

Ms McKenzie explained how St Columba’s had taken care of her late mother.

She said: “My mum’s illness was sudden and she spent the last seven days of her life at the Hospice. The care she received there was truly amazing. It was humbling watching the staff go about their jobs in such a professional yet caring way.

“The exceptional care given by the Hospice is free to us but costly to them, and they rely on donations. So, to repay the karma I want to raise as much money as I can for the Hospice.”

Denise’s JustGiving page.