Round-the-world piper Irene Robinson's Antarctic blast

Irene Robinson, a forensic nurse practitioner, is travelling across seven continents in 50 days with the aim of raising £50,000 for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and Julia’s House children’s hospice.

The 57-year-old, from Poole, Dorset, started her challenge last month on board HMS Victory at Portsmouth, Hampshire, and has so far played the bagpipes at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, San Francisco’s Alcatraz and Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer monument.

Her latest performance was at Antarctica’s Paradise Bay and Neko Harbour.

Ms Robinson said: “With fair seas and following winds we tracked our way onto mainland Antarctica. Perfect weather conditions allowed a hike to one of the most beautiful protected spots on earth - Paradise Bay.

“Incredible, stunning, icy untamed landscape with magnificent glaciers and icebergs of all shapes and sizes. It was easy to feel at home with the abundant wildlife and in particular the funny penguins.”

She added: “Neko Harbour was a different piping experience with the sound of calving and mist around us - at that moment I was compelled to play Auld Lang Syne and it will now always bring me back here. An emotional third continent for me as so much depended on everything going the right way but it was perfect.”

Her remaining gigs will be at Auckland’s Sky Tower, followed by Sydney’s Captain Cook’s Cruises and Johannesburg’s Regina Mundi Catholic Church. She will finish at London’s HMS Belfast on February 27.

Rebecca Saunders, regional fundraiser at the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, said: “Irene’s bagpiping challenge is brilliantly ambitious and, just like the Royal Navy, her efforts will be seen and talked about in all corners of the globe.”

For more details visit: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=bagpipetheworld