As Midwinter’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, celebrations will extend across the weekend. This occasion marks the midpoint of the Antarctic winter in the British Antarctic Territory and is an important milestone for those stationed on the continent.
HM Commissioner to the British Antarctic Territory, Jane Rumble, has shared a message with British Antarctic Survey (BAS) personnel currently serving in Antarctica to recognise the occasion.
“As the Antarctic continent settles into its long winter night, I am writing to send my warmest good wishes and deep thanks from the British Antarctic Territory and the wider UK Polar community.
Midwinter is a moment that belongs uniquely to Antarctica. It is a pause in the rhythm of the season – a chance to reflect on what has been achieved, to acknowledge the challenges of life and work in such an extraordinary place, and to take pride in the strength of the communities you have built together.
Your work represents something hugely important. Whether you are keeping stations running, supporting operations, enabling logistics or maintaining scientific programmes through the winter months, you are sustaining the UK’s presence in Antarctica. In doing so, you carry forward a long tradition of discovery, cooperation and environmental responsibility.
This year, the opening of the Discovery building at Rothera feels particularly significant. It is more than new infrastructure, it is the new heart of the station, designed to bring together science, operations and community life in one place. I hope that those of you at Rothera are already finding it a source of support through the winter: a warmer, more connected and more resilient space in which to live and work as the season deepens.
I would like to offer special thanks to those who have served throughout the season aboard RRS Sir David Attenborough. Working at sea in the Southern Ocean involves long periods away, demanding conditions and constant adaptability. Your contribution to science and logistics has been outstanding. Alongside this, I also want to recognise the essential role of BAS air crews. Although not present in Antarctica over the winter, their work is fundamental to everything that happens on the continent – linking stations, enabling field science and ensuring that the UK can operate safely and effectively across vast distances.
All of this reflects the enduring values of the Antarctic Treaty: a commitment to peace, to science, and to working together in the common interest. These values are not abstract – they are lived out every day through the work you do. In winter, in particular, the continuation of observations and long-term science is vital. It is this continuity that allows us to understand Antarctica properly, and to respond responsibly to what we are seeing.
And we are seeing change. Antarctica is no longer as constant as it once seemed. Many of you will be witnessing shifts in weather, ice and conditions that make each season feel different from the last, often longer, often more demanding. This makes your work all the more important. By maintaining a year-round presence and steady scientific effort, you are helping to build the understanding the world urgently needs.
Midwinter is a time to recognise that effort, and to recognise one another. Whether through shared meals, familiar traditions, films, or simply the comfort of good company, I hope you are able to take time to celebrate where you are and what you are achieving.
Although you are far from home, you are very much in our thoughts. Across the UK and beyond, people are thinking of you with admiration and gratitude.
Thank you for everything you are doing. I wish you all a safe, healthy and heartening Midwinter and look forward to the return of the light in the months ahead.”