Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is setting off to climb Mount Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, in his pursuit to become the first person to have crossed both polar ice caps and climb the highest mountain on each continent to raise money for Marie Curie.

Frederik van Tuyll, CEO, TMF Group who are sponsoring the Global Reach Challenge said: “Sir Ranulph Fiennes is the world’s greatest living explorer. He has inspired many for generations with his perseverance and dedication, and has pushed himself to the extreme to complete some of the world’s most gruelling and difficult challenges. He has shown that to succeed in remote areas requires not only tremendous ambition but also detailed local knowledge and expertise - so he surrounds himself with a strong team, all experts in their field. TMF Group understands this too, and is excited to be part of the Global Reach Challenge team.” Breaks the world record for unsupported (without new supplies or assistance) northerly polar travel, with Mike Stroud in The Unsupported North Pole Russian Expedition. Ranulph also wins ITV’s Award for Event of the Decade. 1986 However, he still needs to successfully summit Mount Vinson, Aconcagua in South America, Mount Carstensz in Australasia* and finally Denali, the highest peak in North America and one of the world’s most dangerous and difficult mountains to climb - only then will he complete this world first.If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us The peninsula is on the shore in north-west Greenland, in the Qaasuitsap municipality. As a tidewater glacier, the Hayes Peninsula changes in size and shape fairly rapidly, shrinking or enlarging every few decades. Paul Sykes, long-time benefactor of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, said: “Sir Ranulph proves with enormous willpower what can be physically achieved. He is a friend and hero to me and I am proud to support his latest endurance challenge.

Sir Ranulph is halfway to completing his Global Reach Challenge in aid of Marie Curie, having already crossed both polar ice caps, and climbed Mount Everest in Asia, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount Elbrus in Europe. Preparation for what came to be called the Transglobe Expedition began in 1972 and occupied much of Fiennes’s and Ginny’s time during the rest of the decade. The trekking team, led by Fiennes and including fellow Britons Charles Burton and Oliver Shepard, had a support crew of some three dozen people, including Ginny. They departed from Greenwich, England, in September 1979, attempting to stay as close as possible to the Greenwich meridian as they journeyed southward over land and water, until they reached the coast of Antarctica in January 1980. They remained there until October, when Fiennes, Burton, and Shepherd departed on snowmobiles for the South Pole, which they reached on December 15. Setting out again after a short time at the American base there, they arrived at the Scott Base on the west coast of Antarctica in mid-January 1981, having made the continental traverse in a record-setting 67 days. I have sponsored him to raise funds for Marie Cure before which included the Everest, Eiger and Marathon des Sables challenges. The money Sir Ranulph will raise will help Marie Curie reach many more people living with a terminal illness as well as providing vital emotional support for their families.” As preparation to summit Everest, Ranulph climbs the tallest free standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro. It was no easy task, the explorer getting angina pains 500ft from the summit. It was to be a sign of the dangers ahead in his attempt on Everest. Fights Marxist Terrorists 1968-1970 and receives the Sultans Bravery Medal from Her Majesty the Queen. 1968Fiennes, now 79, has climbed Everest three times, reaching the summit on his third attempt, in 2009, when he was 65. He is our greatest living explorer – a man whose exploits both at the poles and as a mountaineer have seen him look death in face times unnumbered. But they have also been part of that narrowing of horizons, the sense that this world has, perhaps, been explored enough. Fiennes, who turns 80 in March, has just published a fine book about TE Lawrence, one of his heroes. Taking seven years to plan, this was one of Ranulph Fiennes’ most epic journeys. The team, led by Ranulph, circumnavigated the world on its polar axis, using only surface transport. In total, they covered 52,000 miles over three years. Along with his expedition partner, Charles Burton, Ranulph became the first person to visit both North and South poles travelling only on the surface and to cross the Antarctic and Arctic Oceans. It was such a huge challenge no one has ever repeated the route. Uses army explosives to blow up civilian property. Ranulph is then asked to leave the SAS. 1965-1966 When he returned home Doctors insisted he wait five months before the frostbitten parts of the fingers could be removed. Ranulph, irritated by the pain and waiting, decided to remove them himself. He spent a couple of days on each finger using an electric fretsaw to take off the top third of his fingers and thumb in his garden shed.