A POET from Malmesbury hopes to be setting off on an expedition of a life time later this year, all thanks to his ability to turn a phrase.

Andrew Carnegie, 54, has been invited to take part in the follow up expedition to Sir David Hempleman-Adam’s Polar Ocean Challenge, which made international news last year after completed the North East and North West Passages around the Arctic Ocean in just four months.

The expedition will journey northwards along to the west coast of Greenland to find how far the polar ice cap will have retreated this summer.

The same trip claimed the lives of two crews searching for a North West passage for trade in 1845, in what proved to be one of the most devastating maritime disasters in British naval history due to the thick ice.

Sir David said they barely saw enough ice for a gin and tonic during their trip last year, a sign of the effects of climate change, he claimed.

Andrew first came on the radar of the crew when he started tweeting teenager Ben Edwards, who was a crew member of the trip and had spoken on Twitter about it.

An experienced sailor himself, Andrew starting writing poems for the crew via Twitter, which were well-received.

“They said my poems really supported them and apparently they would look forward to what I wrote next,” said Andrew.

“So for next four months, every day, I religiously got up and wrote them a poem, sometimes jokey, sometimes spiritual.

“When they got back in October I became an honourary member of the team.

“It was a real honour to be involved.”

Andrew subsequently joined them on a trip from Bristol to Portishead at the beginning of the year and has been invited to be part of the crew on their return leg from Greenland in the next couple of months.

The trip hopes to continue to raise awareness of the extent of Arctic climate change to a global audience.

“We’re looking to seek the edge of the ice, as it’s not easy to see exactly what’s happening from a satellite picture,” said Andrew.

“Someone on the ground can see the quality of the ice, while a satellite might think there’s ice there.

“That’s what this next expedition is trying to do.”

To stay up to date with the expedition, visit polarocean.co.uk

Sir David also runs a charity which educates teaches primary school kids about climate change called Wicked Weather Watch.

For more information on the charity, visit wickedweatherwatch.org.uk