We are delighted to have donated much needed thermals to retired Leeds GP, Professor Phil Heywood who is skiing to the North Pole this week to raise money for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).
Professor Heywood, 69, is hoping to raise £30,000 in 2014 to help fund VSO’s work to reduce the number of mothers who die in pregnancy and childbirth in the developing world. He has spent the past five years working in Cambodia, South Sudan and Vietnam working for VSO.
Our Marketing and Ecommerce Director, Phil Anderson said: “Professor Heywood is an inspirational figure. Since retiring he has continued to help others and is now taking on the ambitious task of skiing to the North Pole. As the inventor of thermal, the least we can do is give him some of our warmest thermals to keep him warm while he skies more than 100 miles across the snow and ice where temperatures will sometimes reach -40. We wish him the very best of luck.”
Professor Heywood said: “More than 6,000 women worldwide die every week from childbirth and pregnancy, I’ve witnessed first-hand how distressing this can be and want to help fund VSO so they can send skilled professionals to help local communities develop their own life-saving skills.
“I know it’s going to be hard work and very cold but I’m a keen cross-country skier and I’ve been training by running and by dragging tyres round fields. I’m very grateful to Damart for giving me thermals for the trip; it will be very cold and keeping warm, especially at night, will be crucial.”
