Notify is proud to sponsor local polar expedition team member Matt Bell as he explores The Northern Pole of Inaccessibility. In particular, we’re proud to sponsor his work in the #LastPole campaign.
Here we’ve been chatting to Matt about his experiences and the #LastPole expedition. Notify is a company committed to supporting our clients in reducing their environmental impact and working sustainably, so Matt’s work is something we really believe in. Let’s hand it over to Matt.
A: Growing up in Newcastle upon Tyne with both the countryside and beach within cycling distance led to a fascination with nature, particularly the ocean. At age 12, after receiving my junior open water SCUBA diving licence, my curiosity about life below water grew further.
I am currently on my Placement year, allowing me to partake in the #LastPole expedition and gain other valuable experiences within my field of work. Last year I became a Commercial and European Scientific Diver. I have also recently finished an internship helping students to gain their HSE Professional SCUBA Diver Part IV qualification.
I believe in taking courageous steps, pushing boundaries, continual personal development and environmental well-being, and those beliefs drove me to join the Ice Warrior team. Values that I hope you share with me in creating a more sustainable world.
Q: Tell us more about Ice Warrior and the #Lastpole Expedition
Ice Warrior is an organisation that gives ordinary people the training and opportunity to become competent and safe modern-day explorers. At the same time, they have the chance to be involved in ground-breaking and potentially planet-saving expeditions and have contributed significantly to our knowledge of the Arctic. As an Ice Warrior team member, I’ve got the opportunity to contribute to this scientific discovery and develop my skills as an explorer.
The #Lastpole Expedition is a chance to gather invaluable data and is led by Jim McNeil. It is an expedition to reach The Northern Pole of Inaccessibility, the last significant place on earth as yet unreached. It is the furthest point from land on the Arctic Ocean and an opportunity to improve our understanding of the planet.
Q: What inspired you to take part in the expedition?
I attended an online talk about extreme environments: the Arctic, melting permafrost in Siberia and Antarctica. Jim McNeill was a guest speaker and talked about the Ice Warrior Project. He was encouraging ordinary people to join him on a science expedition to the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility. Immediately after the talk I emailed, and they replied, inviting me to a selection weekend.
Q: When is your next adventure?
The Ice warrior project #LastPole is set to embark in mid-February 2023, however, prior to this I will be going on a mini-expedition for eight days in Svalbard in late January. After the #LastPole expedition, who knows?
Q: What can Notify’s colleagues and customers do to get behind this important expedition?
The #LastPole Ice warrior expedition is a citizen science expedition. The obvious team is those going on the expedition. However, you, your colleagues and customers have a vital role to play. Without your support, this expedition will not be possible.
So, what can you do? Play that support role. If you are an expert in something, be that nutrition, fitness or networking, and you know an Ice Warrior, help them out. If you know someone or a company that you think may be able to personally donate or a company, like Notify, able to sponsor, the expedition help them make that connection.
By sharing, commenting and asking questions we can get more people engaged in the expedition. This is an opportunity to go somewhere no one has ever been before in the pursuit of furthering our scientific knowledge.
The on-ice team have a very big challenge ahead. There is a reason it is called the Northern pole of Inaccessibility. In Matt’s opinion, with everyone’s support be that financially or other we can gather the crucial data sets needed and conquer the inaccessible at the same time!
Thank you Notify for becoming a sponsor, keeping us safe with your software and sharing your platform with us. Welcome to the team!
Supporting the #LastPole Exhibition
At Notify, we are extremely proud to be involved with and sponsoring Matt as he gets involved with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The work Matt and the team will be doing may have a significant impact on our understanding of our planet. It may also contribute towards future sustainability measures and climate change campaigns. We are passionate about sustainability and protecting our planet’s finite resources so supporting Matt and his campaign was a must for us!
