FOURTEEN- YEAR-OLD Ben Edwards has just returned to Bristol as the youngest crew member of Polar Ocean Challenge.

He is raising £20,000 for children with bowel inflammation at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridgeshire.

He is himself, a sufferer, in constant pain.

Arctic melt means the Northeast Passage is now open and it’s now possible for the first time to cover the 13,500 nautical miles and sail round the North Pole in one summer season.

The explorer David Hempleman-Adams, who led the ground-breaking expedition, is launching a charity to inform young people and inspire them to tackle climate change.

This year there were about 600,000 square kilometres less ice cover in May, an area twice the size of Britain, compared with the previous lowest year.

Data will be fed to Wicked Weather Watch and to schools in the UK.

Children’s author Marylyn Cropley will be holding a workshop in the children’s section of Poole’s Central Library, in the Dolphin Shopping Centre. She will be reading from her book, Planet Earth Needs Our Help.

Marylyn says: “This book is a legacy to my own grandchildren and to other families; it is one way to celebrate our beautiful planet and raise awareness of the possible impact of our actions today.

“This is a not-for-profit project offering a message of hope – and a springboard to better understand the issues around climate change. I hope parents, grandparents and many others will join me on sharing this journey with my book.”

The free workshop for five-to-11 year olds is at 2.30pm-3.30pm on Saturday, 29th October 29.

To book a place please call 01202 262449.

SUSAN CHAPMAN

Parkwood Road, Southbourne, Bournemouth