The British Antarctic Sledge Dog Memorial

The Fund now stands at nearly £2000, so we're getting there and essentially we now have enough money to ensure that a bronze plaque can be cast naming all the British Antarctic dog teams. However the growth of the fund to the target of £6,000 and the casting of a full size dog is now much more certain as donations continue to come in from people all over the world.

One small example of this is the recent offer by the Antarctic painter Michael Skidmore. Mike has painted some extraordinary Antarctic scenes some of which are displayed on his website www.antarctic-paintings.com. There is no doubt that these paintings are in an artistic sense 'important' and represent an artistic record that could only be produced by someone who travelled widely with the dog teams in Antarctica. When you hold a Skidmore painting you see not just the scene that captures an historical moment, but a flow of the Antarctic colour with spontaneity and feeling that is more than could be expected. Somehow Mike captures the 'soul' of the Antarctic in his works, more than art can impart.

But there is much more, the scenes are accurate down to the finest detail. Each team is recognizable, each dog a perfect portrait, each man exactly dressed in the clothes he wore at the time, each sledge perfectly represented with the exact load taken on that journey.

They are as valuable for our time as were the paintings of Edward Wilson in Scott's. In that sense they are priceless.

Mike has generously offered The Fund a portrait of Changi - the lead dog with the Hobbits in the late 60's and early 70's. The painting is now open to bids (send your bid to the treasurer of the Fund).

Bidding we hope will be facilitated for international bidders by putting the picture on eBay on 1st December and the auction will end on the 10th.

The winner will also get a record of Changi's sledging journeys assembled from his dog card and submissions from those who sledged with him all over the Antarctic plateau, sea ice, shelf ice and the Shackleton Mountains.