A man who is planning to head to the Arctic Circle for charity has raised more than half his target funds for a cancer charity.

James Chesters, 30, from Silvertown will be sledding with a team of huskies over 200 kilometres to the wilds of Norway on March 5.

He is taking on the challenge to raise �6,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support and has already collected �3,359.

The adventure is run by a company called Across the Divide and James will be part of a group of 10.

James said: “Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer, and the illness has directly affected my own family.

“In 2008, my aunt Margie Frankham succumbed to cancer after a long battle with the illness, and in 2010, my uncle John Chesters was the victim of an aggressive brain cancer.

“This trip seems like a fitting way to remember both my aunt Margie and my uncle John, who were my Dad’s two oldest siblings and are very much missed.”

James admits he is a little intimidated by the whole adventure. James said: “I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru back in 2009, and I raised �4,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support at the time but this is a whole other level.

The dog sledging challenge a higher fundraising target than his last so he is appealing for help anywhere he can get it.

James also recognises that his Great Arctic Fundraising Adventure will be the most physically demanding thing he has ever done.

He said: “I had to be fit for the South American Andes, but the Arctic Circle is going to be even tougher.

“There will be times when I fall off the sled and have to run after it, and other times when I will have to push the sled uphill.

To prepare him for the physical challenges that lie ahead, James has received personal training from a fitness instructor.

Money raised will be used to help fund specialist Macmillan nurses and doctors who deliver the best in cancer care, build vitally needed cancer care centres and give financial help to those who need it most.

Anyone interested in sponsoring James should visit www.justgiving.com/james-chesters.