A PERSONAL trainer more used to donning Santa Claus’s suit is getting ready to travel to his homeland for a special fundraiser.

Becs Miller has regularly taken part in the annual Santa Run in Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens in aid of When You Wish Upon a Star.

Yesterday (Wednesday), she swapped the streets of the Capital for a trip to Lapland alongside friend Alison Wilson.

Together, Alison and Becs, who is also a member of Dunbar’s RNLI crew alongside Paul Muspratt, Alison’s husband, will spend three days trekking about 70 kilometres in the Arctic Circle.

The duo will be pulling their own kit of sleeping bags, head torches, food and clothing while battling against the elements, crossing frozen rivers in temperatures as low as -40°C and camping out in the wilds.

The gruelling trek is to raise money for the When You Wish Upon a Star charity – which grants wishes for children living with life-threatening illnesses.

'Dragging tyres'

Becs, who previously took part in a transatlantic yacht race from the Canary Islands to St Lucia, said: “Having taken part in the Santa Run for many years, 2024 was time for a change. We have been training for quite some time now.

“You may have seen us dragging tyres up and down Belhaven Beach.

“Friends have also been supporting our training, walking for miles, or getting roped in – literally!

“Volunteering on the lifeboat and undertaking regular training has been a big help in getting ready for the trek – whether it’s deploying an anchor, towing a vessel or manual steering – it all takes physical and mental effort, which will help in the Arctic.”

The trip sees Becs, who runs Seahorse Fitness, and Alison fly from Edinburgh to Finland’s capital Helsinki and then on to Rovaniemi – 800 kilometres north.

When Becs spoke to the Courier on Monday, the 52-year-old was already packing her bags for the fundraiser.

She said: “I am very excited.

“I am just looking forward to having the experience of being so far north and seeing the country from a different perspective.”

Events to help raise funds have been ongoing in recent months, including a casino night.

Go to justgiving.com/fundraising/Arctictrek2024 to make a donation for the good cause.