Hogmanay hope for polar explorers

The pair are heading for an icy New Year

A pair of Scottish accountants are hoping to raise £1m by spending next New Year at the South Pole.

Craig Mathieson and Fiona Taylor, from Dundee, will form part of a dedicated Scottish expedition trekking to the heart of the Antarctic.

The Scot100 adventure coincides with the centenary celebrations of the first Scottish National Antarctic Expedition by explorer William Spiers Bruce.

The adventurers leave in November and hope to reach the pole at Hogmanay.

They plan to strike out from Hercules Inlet, in Antarctica, across 730 miles of snow and ice to the South Pole on a journey that is expected to take them about 60 days.

It has been a dream of mine since I was a wee boy looking up to heroes like Captain Scott Craig Mathieson

The expedition launched their fundraising campaign at the Antarctic Museum, at Discovery Point in Dundee.

Mr Mathieson, 34, said: "The expedition will push us to our limits, emotionally, mentally and physically, but we have the self-belief in ourselves and in each other to make it a reality.

"It has been a dream of mine since I was a wee boy looking up to heroes like Captain Scott and now the opportunity has come up I just really want to do it."

The idea for the challenge was concocted eight months ago while the pair were rock climbing in Skye.

Charity focus

Ms Taylor, 36, who admits the most she has done is to complete a 10k run, said: "It is hard to believe that a decision made eight months ago on a rock in Skye has resulted in this and that we are actually making it happen.

"It is nice to do something that isn't the same as a day job.

"Apart from the training, we are now focused on raising as much money as we can for charity."

The expedition is fully funded by the team's employers, business advisers Ernst & Young.

All the money gathered through various fundraising initiatives will go to the chosen charities Cancer Research, ChildLine, the MS Society and the Huntington's Association.