Father and son to trek South Pole

Matt and Kevin Gaskell's trek to the South Pole will take up to five weeks

A father and son are trekking 186 miles (300km) to the South Pole to raise cash for cancer research and treatment.

Kevin Gaskell, 50, who is originally from Connah's Quay in Flintshire, and his 18-year-old son Matt will face temperatures of -47C (-52F).

Mr Gaskell, who now lives in Newbury, Berkshire, believes they would be the first father and son to walk to the South Pole.

The pair, who leave 26 December, aim to finish the walk by the end of January.

Proceeds will be given to the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Rhyl and the Leukaemia Research charity.

Mr Gaskell, who hopes to raise £40,000, has previously raised £80,000 for the centre by walking to the North Pole.

Mr Gaskell's sister Jayne Strong, from Rhyl, died in 2004 at the age of 44 after suffering from leukaemia.

The Gaskells will be part of a team of seven but will drag their own sledges with no support from dogs or kites.

"Antarctica is as big as China and India put together so it's a long, long way," said Mr Gaskell.

Safety is the first priority and we all know each other Kevin Gaskell

"It's about -46 or -47 down there at the moment. Your home freezer is about minus 18 so imagine living in your freezer, but three times colder, for five weeks."

The Gaskells have been training for the past year and recently canoed across Scotland.

Mr Gaskell, president of an automotive data firm, is confident the pair will successfully complete the trek and believes they would be the first father and son team to do so.

"We've been told that but the trouble is you never know," he said.

"My son also got in touch with the Guinness Book of Records and they confirmed to him that he would be the youngest person to walk there but it won't count because he's not leaving from a designated point."

Great team

Matt Gaskell said he jumped at the chance of accompanying his father to the South Pole.

"I've never done anything as big as this before but it's not something I'm going to turn down. I was all for it," he said.

"I pressured my dad to let me go on the North Pole trip [four years ago] but I was much too young for that.

"I don't think it will hit me until we get on a plane. Most people I'm friends with would jump at the chance as well."

Kevin Gaskell said he had also asked his 20-year-old daughter Sara to take part but she had declined.

"She's very sporty and I asked 'how do you fancy coming' and she gave me one of those looks that said 'probably no then'!

"As it gets closer, I think she's a little bit envious but I know two days into it, when we're climbing 10,000ft, she would be saying 'you've got to be joking'."

He said his wife Penny was "appropriately apprehensive" about the trek but she realised they would be part of a great team.

"The guy who is leading the team is a guy called Alan Chambers who was the first to walk from Canada to the North Pole," he said.

"Safety is the first priority and we all know each other."