THE PRINCESS OF WALES WILL JOIN WORLD RECORD-BREAKING CAPTAIN PREET CHANDI ON SCHOOL VISIT TO CELEBRATE HER EXPEDITION ACROSS ANTARCTICA
Derby
Wednesday 8th February 2023
The Princess of Wales will visit Landau Forte College Derby on Wednesday 8th February with Captain Preet Chandi MBE to celebrate her return from her solo expedition across Antarctica.
The Princess of Wales was patron of Preet’s expedition, where Captain Chandi broke the world record for the furthest unsupported solo Polar expedition in history. Pushing the boundaries of human endeavor, Preet covered 922 miles in 70 days and 16 hours, skiing for 13-15 hours a day with as little as five hours sleep at times. Preet pulled all her kit and supplies on a sledge weighing around 120kg while battling temperatures of -30c and wind speeds of up to 60mph.
Captain Chandi undertook the challenge to inspire future generations to believe in themselves, to push their boundaries and show how the outdoors can build the life skills to help them achieve their dreams. This school visit in her hometown kicks off Captain Chandi’s UK-wide tour of schools during which she will share her story and her inspirational message with the next generation.
During the visit, Captain Chandi will make a speech to students about her expedition and will be joined by the Princess in presenting an award to Simrat Soggi, one of the winners of Preet’s national school logo competition. Her Royal Highness will then join students as they take part in some activities which bring to life the expedition and how Preet prepared for it, including some examples of how she trained and the types of food she consumed.
Finally, Captain Chandi and the Princess will speak to a group of Year 11 and Year 13 students about building resilience and mental wellbeing in all aspects of life.
The Princess has long been an advocate of the huge impact the outdoors can have on our wellbeing and the life skills it nurtures, such as confidence and resilience. She is committed to promoting this to young people, including through her work with organisations such as the Scouts, of which she is joint President.
• Captain Chandi surpassed the previous world record of 907 miles set by fellow soldier Henry Worsley, a retired Lieutenant Colonel, in 2015. The previous longest unsupported solo female distance record was 858 miles posted by Anja Blacha from Germany, skiing from Berkner Island to the South Pole in 2019.
• Landau Forte College Derby is an academy with more than 1100 students ranging from 11 to 19 years old. It provides free full-time education to children living in and around the city of Derby and is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.
• Captain Chandi ran a school logo competition ahead of her expedition, where she invited schools across the country to design a logo that could feature on her pulk for the duration of her expedition. Simrat Soggi, a Year 10 student at Landau Forte was one of eleven winners.
• In January 2021, Captain Chandi created history by becoming the first woman of colour to reach the South Pole solo and unsupported. She finished the route in 40 days, just short of the female world record of 38 days held by Joanna Davidson of Sweden.
• Captain Chandi is a physiotherapist and serving member of the British Army, currently working as a physiotherapist at a regional rehabilitation unit in Buckinghamshire, providing rehabilitation for injured soldiers and officers.
