AN OTLEY-BASED Guide Dogs supporter’s “epic” Arctic adventure has ended in success.

Sixty-year-old Pat Brown set off to drive a team of huskies for 220 kilometres in Lapland, Sweden, at the end of February.

The sponsored dog-sledding challenge, 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, tested her physically and mentally.

But Pat is delighted to have completed an expedition during which she endured icy temperatures, survived tumbles, and spotted the Northern Lights.

The trip has also taken her fundraising total to £4,449 – tantalisingly close to the £5,000 needed to have a Guide Dog puppy trained and named ‘Otley’.

She said: “I did a lot of preparation for my trip to the Arctic but it was definitely all worth it, and as I have now almost reached my target there will definitely be a Guide Dog puppy named Otley.

“Because I am quite small I was allotted the smallest, and therefore the slowest, dog team of the group but once I gained their trust we worked well together.

“The most important thing I had to get right was the use of the brakes. My team of girls were very well behaved and experienced though, so if they thought I was using the brakes incorrectly they would look behind at me with an accusing glare!

“I have to confess that I did get thrown off the sled several times, and I did not manage to hold onto it as instructed, but again my girls stopped and allowed me to get back on before charging off.”

Although the weather was relatively mild for the time of year, Pat did experience one night where the temperature plummeted to minus 26 centigrade. Her abiding memories are of the wintry landscape’s strange beauty.

She said: “I think the highlight for me came at the end of our first full day’s drive on the sleds.

“We were heading back to the wilderness cabin just as the sun was setting, and it was magical, all I could hear was the sled’s runners moving over the crisp snow. I also managed to see the Northern Lights from an ice-covered lake opposite the cabin – not for long but it was amazing.

“I watched a corkscrew of beautiful green haze dance across the sky and then dissolve away as quickly as it had appeared.”

Otley Lions, meanwhile, have supported her inspirational endeavours to the tune of £250.

Publicity officer Patrick McCauley said: “We are impressed by Mrs Brown’s energy and fortitude and are delighted to support so worthy a cause.

“It now only remains to wish ‘Otley’ a long and happy career as a Guide Dog. Well done Pat!”

Donate at uk.virginmoney giving.com/PatBrown1.