If it’s cold enough for Sir Ranulph...

Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes at the opening

IT wasn’t quite Antarctica but the freezing temperatures were familiar enough for Polar explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

As Sir Ranulph was the first person to visit both the North and South Poles by surface means and the first to cross Antarctica on foot, Source BioScience asked him to launch Polar 50 — a walk-in chamber at its Kingsway Business Park premises in Rochdale capable of a temperature of minus 70C.

Sir Ranulph offered a talk on his many expeditions before performing the official opening ceremony.

The 50cu m storage chamber is the first of its kind in the world, designed for easy installation. The company provides laboratory services and products for the NHS, among other organisations, and is expecting the chamber to be useful in several situations

Company chief executive Dr Nick Ash added: “This is an extremely significant event for us. We were delighted to welcome guests and privileged to host a talk by Sir Ranulph Fiennes.”