Ocean rower, adventurer and humanitarian worker, Charlie Martell visited Loretto Junior School (The Nippers) 
recently to give pupils a fascinating account of his career to date – something akin to an extract from the 'Dangerous Book for Boys'.
Charlie Martell joined the Royal Engineers, successfully completed the Royal Marines All Arms Commando Course, after which he first saw active service in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War.
At the end of the war, he participated in Operation Safe Haven, one of the UK's first military-humanitarian efforts.
Charlie explained that, having trained as an Army bomb-disposal expert, he combined this with his interest in humanitarian efforts to start work with the British-based mine-clearance charity the HALO Trust.
Loretto youngsters were keen to hear of his first major expedition- as a member of the three-man team 'Commando Joe', who took part in the 2005 Polar Challenge ski-race to the North Pole, finishing the 320-mile journey in a time of 9 days, 3 hours and 17 minutes.
Charlie went on to explain that the following year he recruited three further Commandos to join him in rowing the North Atlantic Ocean between New York and Mevagissey, Cornwall, UK, in the boat Mount Spirit.
The journey took 85 days and the team earned two Guinness World Records on completion. Together the two challenges raised more than £250,000 for the Meningitis Trust.
Bringing his story right up to date, Charlie mentioned that the summer of 2012 saw him embarking on his biggest challenge yet, to row across the North Pacific Ocean in his boat Blossom to San Francisco, USA, to become the first person to make the crossing alone and wholly unsupported. Sadly, having capsized 20 times in the storms, he and his boat Blossom had to be rescued.
The talk was followed by an opportunity for the boys present to ask questions.
Jonathan Hewat, Director of External Affairs at Loretto School, commented, "Really, you couldn't make this kind of adventure up! If ever there was a lesson to the pupils as to how to live your life to the full , then this was it!"