A FORMER Newcastle Falcons player and Durham University graduate has received the royal blessing for his effort to play the most northerly rugby game ever seen.
Retired full-back Tim Stimpson was among the Arctic Rugby Challenge team who met The Princess Royal in London.
Princess Anne, patron of the Wooden Spoon rugby children’s charity the expedition is supporting, gave the team ceremonial flags.
Mr Stimpson said: “Her Royal Highness is a keen supporter of rugby, so it was a great honour to meet her and hear of her support for our fundraising challenge for Wooden Spoon.”
The team will trek 100 miles through snow, ice and temperatures of minus 50 degrees Celsius to the North Pole before staging a rugby match between teams captained by Mr Stimpson and former Gloucester winger Ollie Phillips.
The expedition is planned for April and organisers hope it will raise £300,000 for charity.
For more information, visit arcticrugbychallenge.org
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