Hurstpierpoint man drags rocking horse to South Pole for charity

A man is setting off to pull a rocking horse across Antarctica to the South Pole to raise funds for charity.

Josh Braid, from Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex, is raising funds for Rockinghorse, a Brighton charity which supports babies and children, and the anti-bullying group Kidscape.

He will begin by climbing Mount Vinson, and will then pull the rocking horse to the South Pole.

Mr Braid's great uncle took part in a similar expedition in 1961.

He said: "Seeing photos of that trip fascinated me, and so I started to test myself with various challenges such as cycling to Cannes in five days, climbing the Matterhorn and pulling a tyre 170km, to build the experience required to take on this challenge."

He told BBC Radio Sussex the rocking horse will be put on top of the sled and add another 10 to 12kgs.

At just under 5,000m (16,400ft) Mount Vinson is the highest peak in Antarctica, and Mr Braid will climb it with two other members of the expedition.

"Whilst it's not as high as Everest, which is 8,000-plus metres, it is similar in terms of the coldness," he said.

Mr Braid said he was inspired to help Rockinghorse after his wife gave birth to twin boys in 2022, one of whom needed to be cared for in a special baby care unit.

He said Kidscape has become close to his heart after he came to terms with bullying he suffered at school.

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