A BUSINESSMAN recently made it to the South Pole, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

Walking and skiing at an altitude of approximately 3,100m for up to 10 hours a day, Dean Attwell arrived at the South Pole on January 12.

He left the UK on the 30th December.

Dean, group chief executive of Oakland International, has now returned home after successfully completing his expedition.

Conditions ranged from clear, crisp bright skies to near whiteout ground blizzard conditions with deep snowdrifts covering sleds and tents; powerful images and moments that will stay with him forever.

“The South Pole is stunning and brutal at the same time," said Dean.

"Its pure beauty and raw nature are breath-taking, whilst extremely challenging, with every step both physically and mentally demanding."

He added: “I want to thank everyone who’s helped and supported me throughout this journey.

"My family, friends and colleagues, the team at Forder PT gym who worked so hard to ensure my body was expedition ready, to Keith from Polar Explorers who looked after me both on and off the ice, and to everyone who has donated and supported me and Molly Olly’s Wishes, an amazing charity, which has already helped over 1,500 children across the UK.”

Molly Olly’s Wishes was set up by grieving parents Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw following the death of their eight-year old daughter Molly who died in 2011.

Dean raised a whopping £30,000 for the charity.

With his expedition self-funded, every penny donated will now go the charity to support children from birth to 18 years, and their families, living with a terminal or life-threatening illness.

Training for over a year to ensure he was ready to handle the extremes of weather, temperatures, ice and snowy conditions of the South Pole Dean frequently tests his endurance and stamina while raising money for charity, taking part in a range of fundraising adventures including successfully climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa in 2013 and trekking to the North Pole in 2017.

Commenting on the future Dean said: “I really have no idea what my next challenge will be, I’m just enjoying the moment and plan to spend some time with my family.”