Landau Forte College Derby hosts Princess of Wales and Captain Chandi, polar explorer
On Wednesday 8 February, staff and students at LFCD welcomed the Princess of Wales to the school. Her Royal Highness was joined by Captain Preet Chandi MBE, the British Army medical officer who in January 2023 broke the world record for a solo and unsupported polar expedition.
Her Royal Highness was Patron of Preet’s expedition, in which Captain Chandi covered 922 miles in 70 days and 16 hours, skiing for 13-15 hours a day with as little as five hours sleep at night. Preet pulled all her kit and supplies on a pulk weighing around 120kg while battling temperatures of -50c and wind speeds of up to 60mph.
During the visit, Captain Chandi spoke to students about her expedition before being joined by Her Royal Highness presenting an award to Simrat Soggi, a Year 10 student at Landau Forte College Derby.
Ahead of her expedition, Captain Chandi ran a competition where she invited schools across the country to design a logo which could feature on her pulk for the duration of her journey. Simrat Soggi was one of eleven winners nationwide.
Her Royal Highness then joined students as they took part in a number of activities aimed at bringing Captain Chandi’s expedition to life and illustrating how she prepared for it, including examples of her training programme and the types of food she consumed.
Finally, Captain Chandi and Her Royal Highness spoke to Year 11 and Sixth Form students about the importance of building resilience as well as mental wellbeing in all aspects of life.
The Princess has long been an advocate of the huge impact the outdoors can have on our wellbeing and the life skills it nurtures, such as confidence and resilience. She is committed to promoting this to young people, including through her work with organisations such as the Scouts, of which she is joint President. The day was such a memorable experience for all in the Landau Community!
