Pentagon Supports Arctic Challenge To Help The Heroes Of The Armed Forces

Local car dealer group Pentagon is getting right behind an exciting charity expedition that is heading 800 miles north of the Arctic Circle next month to raise money for the Armed Forces charity Help For Heroes.

• Pentagon, based at Barugh Green in Barnsley, is supporting the expedition of 4 vehicles and 8 drivers as they take on the treacherous driving challenge that aims to raise £25,000 for the charity which supports members of the British Armed Forces who have been injured serving their country.

  Pentagon are donating a specially adapted Jeep Wrangler 4x4 for the team to use on their journey that has had a Webasto heater added to keep the engine from freezing in the sub-zero temperatures and a set of high-specification snow chains for the tyres.

  The team of 8 will set off on their gruelling trip on March 1st and will have to contend with temperatures as low as minus 40 Celsius at night during the 4,600 mile trip.

  Pentagon staff will be taking part in a number of fundraising events across all their dealerships in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the North West during the 17 days the team is away. Events include fancy dress days, cake sales and a donation from every car and van sold and every service carried out in their workshop.

  The Arctic Challenge Team will leave Hull for Rotterdam on the 1st March, travelling north through Denmark and Norway before crossing into the Arctic and arriving at their destination in Nordkapp at the northern tip of Denmark.

  Army Reservist Ian Williams, who has over 25 years’ experience in the forces, will be driving the vehicle donated by Pentagon. Speaking about the challenge, Ian said: “We’ve been planning this for well over a year and now it’s getting closer it’s starting to get very exciting, but there’s also trepidation. We’ve prepared well for the trip and taken as many precautions as possible but the temperatures will be extreme. We’re expecting severe blizzards and we could see as much as three to four foot of snowfall in a day.”

  Ian’s co-driver, ex Serviceman Wayne Mosedale added: “This is probably the most extreme part of the world to travel through during winter and with just five hours of daylight a day travelling safely with such a large group will be incredibly challenging.”

  The Arctic Heroes team have organised a number of fundraising events and you can find out more about these, the incredible work of the Help For Heroes charity and make a donation at www.bmycharity.com/arcticheroeschallenge.

Of the money raised to date for Help for Heroes, nearly all of it has been either spent or allocated to provide facilities and support services that benefit British servicemen and women injured in action. For more information on how they spend the money they raise visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk/how_we_spend.html