Bristol medic finishes 'backbreaking' COP26 ice tow

Mr McDonald towed a new block of ice everyday

A medic has towed a melting block of ice to the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow as a visual representation of the climate emergency.

Jet McDonald, 50, from Bristol completed the 400-mile cycle on Sunday.

He described how during a particularly hard spell cycling uphill at night, a driver pulled alongside him and offered him food or water, that spurred him on.

Mr McDonald said he hoped people took away a sense of urgency from what had been a "backbreaking challenge".

He left the block of ice near the COP26 meeting

When he arrived he left the ice block near the negotiations "as an image that we really need to act now".

Mr McDonald cycled between 50 and 60 miles each day in his scrubs and took a week off work to complete the challenge.

He said the most difficult part of the journey was when he reached the Lake District and got to Shap fell.

"I got to Shap fell, a long, high, hard road, in the dark and it took me five hours to cycle because I was so tired.

"I thought why on earth was I doing this?

"There was no one else there to encourage me on."

About halfway up a man pulled alongside him in a car and asked if he needed any food or water.

"That one moment of kindness helped to boost me up the hill," he added.

Mr McDonald had help from a network of people who housed him and renewed the ice block every day.

"It really was a race against time when I got to Glasgow because I planned to get there at 4pm on Sunday.

"I got lost just outside of Glasgow and there were really strong headwinds.

"It was such a relief to get there and I made it with five mins to spare."

He said he felt like he had completed a very personal journey and was happy he was able to make his statement in the name of climate justice.

"I want people to take away a sense of urgency from this challenge.

"It was a backbreaking challenge and that's what we're facing in terms of the climate.