I DID IT!

Huge thanks to everyone who supported my Husky Sled Challenge in aid of Mencap. I just got back from northern Norway where, together with 10 other volunteers, I sledded 124 miles (200km) across the icy wilderness of the Arctic Circle.

The journey took in frozen lakes, magical forests, the Northern Lights, 45-degree declines, 90-degree bends and temperatures as low as minus 25. My team of four huskies – Ninja, Shakira, Gregor and Kuzco – were part of a pack of 64 dogs headed by local guide (and ex Norwegian special forces commando) Per Thora. This is the kind of guy who, when asked how he sleeps during the Arctic summer, when daylight can last for 24 hours, replies: "I close my eyes."

Collectively we raised more than £25,000 for Mencap. The money will be spent on projects here in Northern Ireland, including the Changing Places campaign and a new campaign designed to give people with a learning disability more of a social life.