KEEPING a cool head is the least of Poole Hospital’s chief biomedical scientist’s concerns as he takes on an Arctic adventure for a good cause.

Andy Barber, 54, flew to Sweden on Friday to take part in the Ice Ultra Challenge.

The endurance event sees participants run 150 miles in the freezing Arctic temperatures in just five days.

They must take all the food they need for the run with them in backpacks, and to make things even tougher, the majority of the race will have to be completed in snow shoes. Andy has always been keen on his fitness and regularly runs as well as teaching karate. He has always wanted to do the Ice Ultra Challenge as a personal goal and has decided to raise money for Poole Hospital, where he has worked for over 35 years.

Andy, who oversees the hospital’s team of laboratory staff, will be running for up to 15 hours a day, with the last day seeing a 10-mile ’sprint’ to the finish.

Training for this event has not just been the standard marathon training programme. In the past year Andy has covered 1,250 miles including a race from Portland Bill to Old Harry Rocks and a training run around the Isle of Wight. He has also had to train in his snow shoes by running along the beach.

Balancing exhaustion and exertion will be tough and planning how much food and drink to take will play a key part into how the event will go for Andy. Andy has also been testing potential snacks by putting them in the freezer at home and advises people not to try frozen Jaffa Cakes.

Speaking before the trip Andy said: “I have mixed emotions about the Ice Ultra. On one hand I am eager to get out there to take part and raise lots of money for the hospital while on the other I am feeling slightly anxious as I know this is a big challenge.”

“The Swedish have a name for what I am feeling, they call it resfeber, which means the restless race of the travellers heart before the journey begins, when anxiety and anticipation are tangled together - a travel fever that can manifest as an illness.”

To donate go to justgiving.com/fundraising/andrew-barber12 or text ICEY94 £5 to 70070.