If we are going to paddle almost 300 miles in April, we had better get training!

On Saturday, Dave Wood, myself and David Adams from river mountain experience set out to the River Ure in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire, for our first session in the kayaks.

We started off going up the river towards Newby Hall, against the current and breeze. We stopped a couple of times to discuss and practice getting in and out with high banks. We discussed all the kit and things we could do to make the expedition more enjoyable. On the way back we had the current and breeze in our favour, which was much more enjoyable!

We then returned to Boroughbridge and onto the canal. When we were getting out we met Ian Cooke from the Yorkshire sea Kayakers, who put me in touch with fellow kayakers in the area. It was a great morning and great to get back into a kayak. Though we were in different ones that we will be using in April, it was good to get some practice in. I'm looking forward to getting us all together so that we can get some practice in as a team.

The great news is that we have already raised £1000 so are well on our way to reaching our target. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated already.

If you would like to donate, to help us in our efforts to build a memorial commemorating members of the armed services that have committed suicide, you can click on the link at the top of the page.

And please subscribe to our blog to be kept up to date with our fundraising and training progress!

Ed

***UPDATE***

It is with great sadness that we are postponing the kayaking expedition that was due to start on the 1st April.

This is due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty of what the situation will be by April. The safety of both our team and of those that we would like to support us, along the 280 miles route are paramount as well as all the places that we have planned to stop on each day.

This is only a postponement and by no means a cancellation. We plan to move the expedition to 19th-30th August as we think that we should all be in a better place by then. In the meantime, we will continue to fundraise and spread awareness, the best we can under the current climate.