- The sixth Land Rover bursary of £30,000 and the loan of a Land Rover Defender has been awarded to the 'Pole of Cold Expedition'
- The Land Rover Bursary was first awarded in 2007, in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG*), offering funding and the use of a Land Rover Defender vehicle
- The award is aimed at those who want to take a journey that offers exceptional challenges for the team, and for which a Land Rover Defender with its expert capabilities is an integral part of the expedition
- The Land Rover Defender, featuring its legendary four‑wheel drive system and differential lock, is renowned for its all‑terrain capabilities and is highly suited to tackling some of the world's most challenging conditions and terrains
(WHITLEY, UK)‑ May 21, 2013‑ Land Rover in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG*) are proud to announce the award of the sixth consecutive bursary to this year's winner, the 'Pole of Cold Expedition'.
The team leader Felicity Aston, who is no stranger to the cold ‑ already having a number of Antarctic Expeditions under her belt ‑ along with Gisli Jonsson, an expert mechanic in sub‑zero temperatures, and Manu Palomeque, a filmmaker and photographer, will chase the onset of winter across Europe to Siberia as far as the Pole of Cold, the coldest place in the northern hemisphere.
The team will track the extreme weather through scientific and creative means documenting the physical, human and cultural geography as they go.
Mark Cameron, Land Rover Global Brand Experience Director said; "Felicity and her experienced team have really captured the essence of the Bursary through the concept of their Expedition. We are delighted to support their journey to properly understand how different communities across Europe and Siberia deal with the onset of winter.
"With its expert capabilities the Land Rover Defender will not only enable the team to reach the remotest communities, it will also be adapted into a mobile studio enabling the continuous story to be accessed by a worldwide audience"
Paul Rose, the Society's Vice President of Expeditions & Fieldwork, added "The Land Rover Bursary offers recipients an amazing opportunity to promote a wider understanding and enjoyment of people, places and environments. This team's journey will help show that exploration is as much about a state of mind as it is a particular place."
The team will receive funding of up to £30,000 and the loan of a brand new Land Rover Defender which will truly enable them to go above and beyond to achieve this extremely challenging expedition. They will encounter hostile weather conditions and temperatures consistently as low as ‑20 and at times as low as ‑50 which will push them and the vehicle beyond the normal limits and boundaries that most of us are used to.
The 12 week journey will begin from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), London, England in November with the team working its way across northern Europe through Russia to Siberia then dropping south back through Kazakhstan for the return trip to Europe and ultimately England arriving in February 2014.
If you interested in applying for the 2014 Land Rover Bursary further details are available on www.rgs.org/LandroverBursary
*IBG is the Institute of British Geographers
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Editors' Note:
‑ Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true breadth of capability across the model range. Defender, Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors. Land Rover products are currently sold in approximately 180 global markets.
Past Land Rover Bursary winners include:
‑ 2012: Pushing the Limits
A team supporting a disabled adventurer's plans to encourage our
understanding of the geography on our doorstep and to show that
exploration is within everyone's reach, whatever their ability.
‑ 2011: Glacier in a Greenhouse
The team of Durham University students used their vehicle to study
remote glaciers in Central West Iceland
‑ 2010: Fault Line Living
An arduous 12‑week, 15,000 mile journey exploring the
realities of life for people living along fault
lines. From Iceland to Italy, Greece, Turkey and Iran. The
team worked with school students, seismologists and talked to
the local people of each country to uncover how different
communities adapt to the challenges of fault line living.
‑ 2009: Atlantic Rising
Atlantic Rising's journey traced what could be the new coastline
of the ocean following sea level rise exploring the places, people
and histories that would be lost to the rising tide if climate
change continues. The team developed a programme of talks to both
adults and school students. For more information please
visit; http://atlanticrising.org/
‑ 2008: Latitude
Latitude, who travelled in a Land Rover Defender along the line of
50° North across Europe through Asia and Canada.
About Land Rover
Land Rover, the British maker of Land Rover and Range Rover sport utility vehicles, is renowned for providing its clientele with some of the most luxurious and capable vehicles in the world. Every Land Rover vehicle is equally at home both on and off road, and in any setting; be it in the heart of the city, or traversing the countryside. Today's Land Rover lineup includes the legendary Defender, LR2 (Freelander 2), LR4 (Discovery 4), Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque. Land Rover designs, engineers, and manufactures their vehicles in the United Kingdom. Land Rover is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs.For more information visit the official Land Rover website at http://www.landroverusa.com.
About Jaguar Land Rover
• Jaguar Land Rover is the UK's largest automotive manufacturing business built around two iconic British car brands with a rich heritage and powerful consumer appeal and loyalty. Additionally, Jaguar Land Rover is at the centre of the UK automotive industry's drive to deliver technical innovation in all areas of vehicle development.
• As the UK's largest automotive employer, JLR has a world class team of nearly 25,000 people.
• In the 2011/12 fiscal year, JLR achieved record profits of £1.5 billion, an increase of £392m when compared to the previous year.
• Jaguar Land Rover is the largest investor in automotive R&D and engineering in the UK.
• Jaguar Land Rover has two state of the art engineering and design facilities and three advanced manufacturing plants in the UK.
• Headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey in the United States, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC has offices across the USA and Canada and is represented by more than 330 retail outlets.