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Paddle4Shaw

Just over 2 years ago I lost my father to prostate cancer which was devastating.  I have since learned that if this condition is diagnosed early enough this does not have to be the outcome, unfortunately my Dad ignored the signs until it was too advanced for anything to be done.  Towards the end of his life he was moved into Thorpe Hall which is a Sue Ryder hospice and although he was reluctant to go he received the best treatment & care that anyone could ask for.

Following this I struggled to come to terms with his passing & I decided that I needed to do something to raise awareness of this illness as well as to try to raise money for both The Prostate Cancer Charity & Thorpe Hall and I remembered some years ago my Dad helped a colleague who canoed from Northampton to Peterborough.  This set me thinking but I wanted it to be something different so I decided to see if it would be possible to canoe from the source of the Nene in Northamptonshire to the sea at Sutton Bridge.
My idea was that it would be something I could do as a tribute to my Dad and something that I hope he would have been proud of.

My first point of call was the colleague who did the trip in the first place to find out the feasibility of it all & once he had said not only was it possible but he would help to train me and might also do some of the distance with me, although not all, the ball had definitely started to roll.

I visited Thorpe Hall to discuss with them my proposal and they were overwhelmed that I would consider doing something like this. We then decided that if a few people were going to be doing it why not try to make it as big as possible and get something on the map for the boys in the same way that the ladies have the Race for Life.

This has now snowballed at a great speed as I am now looking to make this the biggest charity event of its kind but need help.  The Devizes to Westminster marathon which has been running for over 50 years is primarily a race & not a sponsored event although entrants can get sponsorship for their chosen charity if they wish.

The Marriott Hotel have kindly given me a membership to their gym in order for me to train for this event as I have not canoed since I was a scout.

I have spoken to The Prostate Cancer Charity who are very excited with this event as they rely heavily on fundraising & donations and a meeting has been arranged between myself & their media to try to help in anyway possible.
Thorpe Hall are very aware that this is now going to be too big for them to deal with so are passing my details to their Head Office in London for them to help.

The date for this event is 18th July 2009, as this coincides with the best tide times for when we reach the last lock at the Dog in a Doublet before the tidal stretch, followed on Sunday 19th July 2009 with a bar-b-que & fun day on the Peterborough City embankment.

I have already booked the embankment for this weekend and am now looking for sponsors.

My intentions are that as many marathon canoeists as possible are involved from across the country but to also have smaller distances available to paddle to open this up to men and boys of all ages to have a go.
Packers canoe club in Peterborough are prepared to help in anyway they can and some may take part in some if not all of the distance.
Sue Ryder, Thorpe Hall are speaking to Perkins Engines to arrange for lighting at the first few locks as it will be dark and safety is our first priority.  Sue Ryder, Thorpe Hall will also try to arrange for some helpers to be available as we need to ensure that every lock has at least 6 people on it to aid any canoeists that require help getting their canoes in and out of the water at the locks.

Help is required with printing of leaflets, flyers & posters but think that advertising space could be sold to local companies at varying levels to cover the cost.

The British Canoe Union (BCU) publish a magazine which is sent out to all its members & I would like to have a sponsorship form printed in this as well as inclusion in their calendar for 2009 alongside possibly putting it into some of the men’s magazine also.

We will require help from the forces once we reach our destination at Sutton Bridge & am in the process of contacting the Navy/Marines/RNLI to ask if they could provide a craft at Sutton Bridge to collect canoeists as they finish and return them to port.

I intend to offer space on the embankment for canoe manufacturers and anybody involved in the sport to have a marquee for the 2 days in order to promote their goods & the sport. The revenue from these is to cover the cost of the embankment & amenities over the 2 days.

I am hoping that some of the Olympic rowers will be able to attend to promote the sport ready for 2012.