Lincolnshire woman joins Antarctic mission to run post office and count penguins

A team of four women, including an Oxford graduate from Lincolnshire, have been selected from over 4,000 applicants to travel 9,000 miles to reopen and manage an historic Antarctica site – featuring the world’s most remote post office – for five months.

The mission has been organised by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, sending four women to Port Lockroy in Antarctica for some of the most remote jobs in the world.

More than 4,000 job applications were sent in to the UKAHT in April this year, with just four people selected as Base Leader, Postmaster, Shop Manager and Wildlife Monitor at the site for the upcoming 2022/23 season.

Natalie Corbett (left), Lucy Bruzzone (middle) and Mairi Hilton (right) will be the other three taking part in the mission. | Photo: UK Antarctic Heritage Trust

Clare Ballantyne, 23, a recent Oxford University graduate from Lincolnshire, will be joined by Natalie Corbett, Mairi Hilton and Lucy Bruzzone, as well as returning Port Lockroy team member Vicky Inglis – who will be helping settle the team into their surroundings for the first ten weeks.

The mission will last around five months, and see the team based on Goudier Island in the Antarctic Peninsula to take care of the UKAHT’s flagship Port Lockroy site. They will begin in November after training, with the view of staying until March 2023.

Port Lockroy is home to the world’s most remote post office, as well as a museum, gift shop, and a whole load of penguins. | Photo: UK Antarctic Heritage Trust

It is home to the world’s most remote post office and museum, with managing these sites part of the task for these four women embarking on the challenge.

Clare will be in charge of dealing with approximately 80,000 postcards by hand, which are mailed from Port Lockroy to over 100 countries each year.

Clare Ballantyne, 23 and from Lincolnshire, completed a Master’s Degree at Oxford University earlier this year. | Photo: UK Antarctic Heritage Trust

She only recently completed her Master’s Degree in Earth Sciences in 2022, and her adventurous nature has seen her finish an ultramarathon in the Azores and a two-week trekking expedition in the Swiss Alps.

Clare said: “I’m most looking forward to stepping onto Goudier Island and taking in the cacophony and pungent smell of the penguins, the backdrop of the glaciers and Fief mountains – and being able to call it home for the next few months!”

The scenery will be staggering, but it will be a tough test. | Photo: UK Antarctic Heritage Trust

They have traded in home comforts for hard work in intense conditions, spending Christmas away from their families without access to running water or a flushing toilet.

The mission will help serve the charity’s role of protecting and preserving British Antarctic heritage sites on the Peninsula for generations to come, as well as monitoring the impact it has on wildlife in the area.

One of the responsibilities will be counting the penguins to protect their colony. | Photo: UK Antarctic Heritage Trust

The team will share a football pitch-sized island with a colony of gentoo penguins, while dealing with almost continuous daylight and sub-zero temperatures.

Commenting on the appointment of the new team, UKAHT CEO, Camilla Nichol said: “After receiving a record response to the opportunity to join our first Port Lockroy team since the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re so pleased to have appointed such a capable team.

“Each team member has a keen sense of adventure and genuine love of Antarctica. It will be a challenging role as they will be living in a remote part of the world for five months, but they will play an essential part in bringing Port Lockroy and its museum to life.”

The team travel out to Port Lockroy in November 2022. | Photo: UK Antarctic Heritage Trust