Captain Andrew Cooney, FRGS, AFRIN, of the Royal Logistic Corps, Territorial Army, was the youngest man to walk to the South Pole.
A native of Thurgarton, he attended Southwell Minster School, which he left at age 16 to study electronic and computer engineering at Southampton Institute, earning his BA (Hons) in Maritime Leisure Management.
Cooney joined the Scouts and earned the highest scouting award (the Queen Scout), later completing the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards under the aegis of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme. He has since founded his own business, delivering presentations, workshops and university lectures across the UK to young people.