NHS midwife originally from Cornwall to work on Antarctica island with 1,000 penguins
Bridie Martin-West has been appointed as the "base leader" at Port Lockroy
An NHS midwife is swapping working at a birth centre in London to live on an island with 1,000 penguins in Antarctica.
Bridie Martin-West, 33, was selected by the charity UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) to work at the "football pitch-sized" Goudier Island Base A at Port Lockroy.
Along with five other colleagues, Ms Martin-West, originally from Cornwall, will be responsible for managing and maintaining the base for five months starting from early November, to ensure the "incredible" stories of the first explorers and scientists who ventured to the South Pole are preserved.
Ms Martin-West has been appointed as the "base leader" at Port Lockroy and will be responsible for the wellbeing of the team.
The team comprises a postmaster and museum manager, a shop manager, wildlife monitor, and general assistant.
During a secret Second World War mission called Operation Tabarin, Base A was established as the first British base in Antarctica in 1944.
Nearly 80 years later, it is now home to the world's southernmost public post office, a museum and a colony of gentoo penguins.
The NHS midwife told the PA news agency: "It's a big difference, but so many of the skills of a midwife are relevant... keeping calm under pressure, not getting worried by changing environments and responding to people in highly stressful situations.
"I worked in a birth centre, looking after women throughout their pregnancies and the births of their babies - it's high-stress and hugely changeable."
She said she will miss her colleagues in midwifery, but they are "excited" about her new job in Antarctica.
"I have brilliant midwifery colleagues... they are fantastic," she said.
"They are so excited for me and can't wait to see what I'm up to."
The 33-year-old said training for Antarctica has been "full-on".
She said: "We've been doing loads of training, doing remote first aid because we're not able to call 999... learning about how to pull sledges and how to monitor the penguin population.
"It's been really full on, so I feel more ready, but I don't know if you can ever feel completely ready for such an incredible experience."
In December, Ms Martin-West and her team will be joined by a group of conservation carpenters who will repair and maintain the historic buildings.