The White Continent with polar explorer Dwayne Fields

To mark Black History Month, we share a profile of Dwayne Fields, guest on one of our most popular podcasts and the first black Briton to walk to the magnetic North Pole

The White Continent with polar explorer Dwayne Fields

To mark Black History Month, we share a profile of Dwayne Fields, guest on one of our most popular podcasts and the first black Briton to walk to the magnetic North Pole

The White Continent with polar explorer Dwayne Fields

10/10/2023

To mark Black History Month, we share a profile of Dwayne Fields, guest on one of our most popular podcasts and the first black Briton to walk to the magnetic North Pole

In season two of our acclaimed podcast, A Voyage to Antarctica, Alok Jha spoke to polar explorer Dwayne Fields, who in 2010, became the first black Briton to walk to the magnetic North Pole.

Born in Jamaica, Dwayne came to the UK at the age of six. In his youth, he was a victim of knife and gun crime and as a result of his experiences, decided to change his life and become an explorer. 

Since then, he’s lived a life of adventure, inspiring young people nationwide to explore the ‘great outdoors’ – wherever that may be.

Dwayne moved to the UK when he was six (Credit: Michael Wharley)

in 2010, Dwayne set himself his first of many challenges, becoming the first black Briton to walk over 400 nautical miles to the magnetic North Pole. On his return he was invited to Buckingham Palace by the Queen, joining other polar explorers and adventurers at a reception to mark the centenary of Scott’s expedition to the South Pole.

In 2022, Dwayne and his expedition partner Phoebe Smith through their #WeTwo Foundation took a group of underprivileged young people to Antarctica on a specially chartered expedition ship.

"It's one of the places that is changing most as a result of our actions here on the planet. It's still this place that's far away and mythical, so big and extreme that you can't really quantify it. If we can get people's heads around that and they can see the impact happening there as a result of our actions, I think we'd go a long way to solving our climate issues." – Dwayne Fields

Dwayne has been awarded the ‘The Freedom of the City of London’ by the Lord Mayor, for his work with young people. He’s an Ambassador for the Scout Association, the National Trust, the Woodland Trust, the Ordnance Survey and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Dwayne during one of his polar expeditions (Credit: Dwayne Fields)

Dwayne is currently appearing alongside Ben Fogle in Channel Five's Endurance: Race to the Pole series as the pair relive Shackleton and Scott's daring journeys to Antarctica.

You can listen to Dwayne’s podcast here or subscribe on Acast, Apple, Spotify or search ‘A Voyage to Antarctica' on all major podcast platforms.

You find out more about Dwayne and his inspiring work on his website or follow him on Instagram.

Black History Month is an occasion to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of black people to British society.

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