8 remarkable lads kayak 41 miles on the River Soar to raise money for Hope Against Cancer
On Saturday 30th September, 8 friends from Whetstone’s Vipers RFC overcame lost sunglasses, an angry swan, getting lodged on a weir and a lot of inexperience to complete a gruelling 41-mile sponsored kayak from Northampton to Leicester in aid of the Leicester based cancer research charity Hope Against Cancer.
The group, Matt Salmon, Lee Simmons, Nathan Smith, Wes Cartwright, Sam Fitzpatrick, Tom Clowes, Arran Caddy and Liam King, set off from Nether Hayford at 4am, finishing at Kilby Bridge at 6.25pm.
41 miles is a long walk and would be considered by many to be a ludicrously long run. To do this distance in a kayak where every meter forward is propelled by the upper body is considered to be the equivalent effort of running an ultra-marathon. It was an extraordinary undertaking.
Across those 41 miles lie 41 locks. At each one the boats needed to be lifted from the water and walked along the bank before being returned to the river further up.
When they first started to prepare at the Leicestershire Paddlesports and Outdoor Club, Paddle Plus, the Chair, Shaun Monkman, was highly amused by the ambition of the plan, particularly as the group had no previous experience in a kayak.
Nevertheless, he saw something in their undeterred determination and was quickly on the phone to his colleague Mark Beasley who helped organise training, guidance, support and all the necessary equipment.
Nathan Smith said, “it is fair to say that we wouldn’t have come close to completing the challenge without Paddle Plus”.
There was also on-the-day support from seven friends in a support vehicle and from members of Vipers RFC Colts who helped them navigate the many, many locks!
They chose to raise money for Hope Against Cancer because the charity is close to their hearts, helping one of their mothers through her battle with cancer. His father said “without Hope I wouldn’t have a wife, and my son and his sister wouldn’t have a mother and our 11 grandchildren wouldn’t have a great nana.”
It is not the first time the group has made incredible efforts to support Hope Against Cancer. In 2018 they walked 100 miles from Blady to Norfolk! They raised £3415 in the process.
Leading the expedition, Matt initially told Hope Against Cancer, “it is our hope our stubbornness to succeed will override our lack of kayaking experience!” In the end, it certainly did. They walked away without injury, just a lot of aches and pains, and a large amount of money for their chosen charity.
They have so far raised £8556, but not all donations have been gathered and they expect to have a final figure of over £9000.
This money will go towards cutting edge cancer research and treatment, helping families right here in Leicestershire and Rutland
If you would like to help them further this amount, the group’s Just Giving page is still available: Matt Salmon is fundraising for Hope Against Cancer (justgiving.com)
