Teenager's Pole venture

ASK most teenagers what they have been up to over the last month and they might say I've been out, watched TV, been to school or played sport.

But ask 16-year-old Richard Burgess what he's been up to and you will get a remarkable response.

That's because Richard has just become the youngest person ever to walk to the magnetic North Pole.

The student from Swaythling returned from last month's gruelling 360-mile journey across the frozen Arctic Ocean two stone lighter and with frostbite on his fingers.

He was part of a six-person team that set off on March 30 and took 28 freezing days in temperatures down to minus 34 degrees Celsius to reach the goal - near to Ellef Ringnes Island in northern Canada. The former St George's School pupil had to pull a 60lb sledge over the ice for 12 miles a day, stopping only to eat and sleep.

He said: "It was brilliant and the experience of a lifetime but it was very hard pulling the sledge. I was in charge of the team's fuel and my sledge was narrow so it kept tipping over.

"I sometimes felt I wanted to give up but I didn't because the team were great and we talked about problems if they occurred."

Richard, who is studying A-levels at Peter Symonds' College in Winchester, got the chance to go on the trip of a lifetime after a fateful meeting with famous polar explorer David Hempleman Adams in a Southampton bookshop last September.

The venture scout, who walked in Belize when he was only 14, was immediately struck on the challenge.

But the organisers of the trip, Ultimate Adventures which is owned by Mr Hempleman Adams, were unsure because of Richard's tender age.

Richard explained: "I really had to prove I had the tenacity and commitment. They got to know me and found out about me as a person and they let me go."

Despite being six feet tall, Richard had to go to the gym to build up his frame and eat loads of food to put on weight.

One of the more unique problems with his age was that he had to have his teeth braces removed in case they froze in his mouth and gave him frostbite!

When the team arrived at Resolute - their start-off point - Richard was also worried if he would get on with the rest of the team, the youngest of which was 28 - 12 years his senior. He said: "I was worried I would be treated as a kid but that wasn't the case."

In fact everyone got on well during the trip which saw the team sleep three to a tent and only be able to wash with baby wipes.

Expedition organiser Neill Williams said that the next youngest person to achieve Richard's fantastic feat was 20.

He said: "He never let us down. He is a quiet lad but he got on with it. Nobody will do better than Richard. His record will never be broken in that way."

As an added bonus film star Brian Blessed joined the team at the second aerial re-supply with 100 miles to go, and cheered up Richard and the others.

Mum Margaret, dad Stephen and Richard's twin sister Madeleine were all happy to see their intrepid son safely back home in Channels Farm Road.

Margaret said: "We are very proud and relieved he has come back safely. It's a tremendous achievement that some one so young has the tenacity to do this.''

During the adventure the family could not communicate with Richard so they thought "that no news was good news" until they got to the goal.

Now Richard is concentrating on getting his A levels in information technology, graphical communications and business studies, which he says will be a "bigger challenge" than the trip.

He added: "I am very pleased to be the youngest and to break the record doing something I really wanted to do. I would now quite like to give the South Pole a go."

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