THE boss of frozen food chain Iceland is set to sample life in nature’s deep freezer.

Grange Moor-born Malcolm Walker has left the UK to embark on a gruelling unsupported trek to the South Pole to raise funds for charity.

The founder, chairman and chief executive of Iceland is undertaking the challenge to mark the 42nd anniversary of the opening of the firm’s first store.

He has also been writing a blog about the preparations for his trip, which can be found at www.footstepsoflegends.org.uk/blog-malcolm-walker/2012/11/16/the-training-starts-tomorrow.html.

Malcolm aims to trek 140 miles across the Antarctic ice cap to the Geographic South Pole to raise funds for two charities, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Walking With The Wounded.

His challenge – In The Footsteps of Legends: The Iceland Antarctic Expedition – commemorates the centenary of Robert Falcon Scott’s British Antarctic Expedition and particularly the noble self-sacrifice of Capt Lawrence Oates.

Oates was slowed down by a wound and famously walked out of the returning team’s tent into a blizzard in the hope of saving the lives of his companions.

Participants in the 2012 Expedition include three soldiers who were all wounded on active service in Afghanistan, but have now returned to duty with Oates’s old regiment, the Royal Dragoon Guards.

Other participants in the Expedition include the four times Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent.

Malcolm’s party is led by David Hempleman-Adams and Justin Packshaw, who were both members of the summit party on the successful Iceland Everest Expedition of 2011.

The team will fly to the Union Glacier Camp at 88 degrees South and ski from there the 140 miles to the Geographic South Pole.

Like the Scott and Oates team, they will do so completely unsupported, dragging their tents, food, clothes and other equipment on specially designed pulks – a type of Scandinavian toboggan.

It is expected to take 19 days to complete the journey, crossing some of the most extreme terrain on the planet in temperatures of minus 40deg C.

The Expedition is raising funds for the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation to support Iceland’s adopted charities Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) and Walking With The Wounded.

Iceland, which has stores at Aspley and Trinity Street in Huddersfield, gave more than £1.2m to ARUK last year and has pledged to donate a further £1m in the current year.

More than £850,000 of this has already been raised, principally through the generosity of Iceland’s customers and staff during the company’s annual charity week in August.

All funds raised in excess of £1m will be donated to Walking With The Wounded, which supports the re-education and retraining of wounded servicemen and women.

Malcolm said: “Today it is 42 years to the day since I opened the very first Iceland store in Oswestry, and I’m delighted to be marking the anniversary by setting off on this latest challenge.

“I’ve always believed that it’s good for business people to step outside their comfort zones from time to time, though I’ll admit that this may be pushing the concept to extremes.

“My second career as an adventurer started with a trip to the North Pole by helicopter in 2010, followed by an immensely challenging climb of 23,000ft to the North Col of Everest in 2011.

“Earlier this year, I abseiled down the Shard and now I’m aiming to complete the Polar double through 19 days of what I know will be utter misery, given that my natural habitat is a centrally heated five-star hotel suite rather than a shared tent at minus 40° C.

“However, it will all be worthwhile if it helps to highlight and raise money for the two absolutely vital good causes the expedition is supporting.”

For more on the expedition, visit www.footstepsoflegends.org.uk.

To make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/mcwalker