April 14th, all 346 k done !
We finished our journey this morning in the reception area at Wycombe Hospital. We had 11k to do but rowed all morning from about 8.30 till 12.45 and then did our "final" 3k and officially ended at 1.00. With help from my rowing friend, Jane, we collected £458.48 in a bucket and were overwhelmed by people's generosity and support. There will be more to add, I'm sure, and I'll keep updating you all.
WHERE DOES THE RIVER THAMES ACTUALLY END? It is at Sea Reach No. 1 Buoy which is on a line drawn between Havengore Creek on the Essex coast and Warden Point on the Kent coast. This point was marked mid-channel by the Nore Lightship, until 1915, and The Nore is mentioned in some publications as being the limit of the river! Now you know!
Anyone looking carefully or following my ergo scores will see that the date on some of them is 2 days behind the actual date! That's because ErgoK , at Marlow Rowing Club is the one I nearly always use because it's tucked in a corner and its date is wrong! I'm raising money for Scannappeal, a charity dear to my heart, as I work at Wycombe Hospital. The money I raise will go towards all their current projects. Scannappeal raises funds to purchase life-saving equipment, particularly for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. This is for Amersham, Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe Hospitals which serve people living in Buckinghamshire and the borders of Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. Over 250,000 patients have already benefited from our work. My intention is to row the length of the River Thames on an ergo (rowing machine). The distance is 346 kilometres (the imperialists amongst you will have to forgive me talking kilometres as that is the only way of measuring distance on an ergo! It is actually 215 miles) and, having 12 weeks in which to complete this Landmark Challenge, I'll be aiming to row about 30K a week. Most of this will be in the Physiotherapy Gym at work and the rest at Marlow Rowing Club where I am a member. The Thames is the longest river that flows wholly within England. It runs through 9 counties and there are 45 locks bringing it down from a height of 361 ft at Thames Head to near sea level at Teddington where it becomes tidal. The first 32 k of the river is too shallow for any kind of boat. In Jerome K. Jerome's book, Three Men in a Boat, the intrepid threesome do the journey with a dog in tow. Not owning a dog and my cat being unwilling, I've decided to take Ivan, my meerkat, on the adventure. Donating through this JustGiving site is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s a very efficient way to donate. You have my word that I will complete every last mile (or kilometre!) and will post photos of my distance each time I row. Many thanks in anticipation. Terry Perry (Transfusion Specialist, Euphonium Player and Band Chairman,Veteran Rower and just generally Mad Woman!)
Current Appeals include:
* The Cancer Fighting Fund- until 2012 there will be a variety of projects, large and small, to provide 21st century equipment and facilities covering different types of cancers. The current phase (£100,000) is for innovative diagnostic equipment to detect the spread of breast cancer.
* the Save Their Skin Appeal to equipe a dedicated minor operations room for those with trauma injuries, and to provide specialist probest to identify the precise location of skin cancer.
* The HeartScan Appeal for £40,000 for advanced echocardiography equipment to diagnose those with cardiac disease.
