IAN HUNTER braved ferocious predators and Arctic weather to trek to the North Pole - and the first thing he did was catch up with the news back home in the Evening Times.

In March we told of the Blantyre engineer's plan to complete a 360-mile polar challenge in aid of cancer charities.

Ian had been inspired to do something to help after his partner of seven years, Margaret Duffy, beat breast cancer after being diagnosed in 2004.

And now, after taking temperatures as low as -38C in his stride to raise £12,000 in aid of Maggie's Centres, Breast Cancer Care and Macmillan Cancer Relief, the 40-year-old is considering making an even tougher trip - this time to the South Pole.

As Scotland's sole representative in the North Pole Challenge Ian had to get used to tests of physical endurance. He underwent taxing training sessions, jogging the equivalent of two marathons a week.

His team of three travelled first to Resolute Bay at the northernmost point of Canada. After a week of training, which included tips on fending off hungry polar bears, there was a three-day trek just to reach the starting line.

Pulling their 120lb sleds containing supplies for the journey, the determined trio crossed 320 miles of arduous terrain in frostbite-inducing temperatures.

So gruelling were the 14-hour days that Ian lost around two stones during the four-week trip - even though he was eating more than 8000 calories a day.

He said: "It was the kind of cold you can't describe. It is desolate but peaceful with few living things there. The terrain is hugely difficult with ice mountains and a frozen sea of ice rubble.

"To get through it you have to be very fit mentally. There were ups and downs. Sometimes you would never have noticed your sled and other days it felt like there was an elephant sitting on it."

Ian's party had one terrifying close encounter with a polar bear.

Having seen tracks in the snow one night near their intended camp, the team walked for an extra hour into the darkening evening to try to avoid the animal.

But in the morning when Ian woke up there were paw tracks leading right up to the door of his tent.

He said: "The bears wander over to see if you're edible and they can be a very real threat. We thought we had done everything to keep the bear away from our tent so I was amazed to see the prints.

"I'm so glad I was fast asleep. I've no idea what I would have done if I'd woken up face to face with a polar bear."

Flushed with his success, John is now contemplating taking on the South Pole Challenge - a 400-nautical mile race which which starts in November 2008 and will last for six to eight weeks with the prospect of temperatures plummeting as low as -50C.

He added: "It's an amazing feeling to have tackled the Arctic. If I go to the South Pole I'll follow the same route as Captain Scott.

"I'm desperate for my next challenge so we'll just have to watch this space."