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I am a volunteer member of the local Northants Alzheimer’s society and raise funds for both the Alzheimer's Society and one other local charity by organising different challenges each year. My second charity of choice in 2010 Coeliac UK (Northants Branch).

Coeliac UK, is the national charity supporting people with coeliac disease, which is caused by an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye (some coeliacs react to oats too) yet it can be treated very successfully by excluding gluten from the diet.

As in previous years all monies raised both online / offline will be split 50:50 beetween the two charities and 100% of funds raised will be donated with no monies raised being used to cover the costs of this self organised challenge. 

In the past I have raised funds for various charities culminating in a challenge including such events as climbing Kilimanjaro, running the Paris Marathon and then cycling to London to run the London Marathon and most recently cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats which raised over £24,000. This years efforts will go to support The Northants of the Alzheimer’s Society, for which Tony is a volunteer, and the Northants branch of Coeliac UK.

The 2010 challenge is the Thames River Challenge which will see me walking and kayaking the full length of the Thames River. Starting at the Thames Head in a quiet corner of Trewsbury Mead, a Cotswold meadow some 3 miles south-west of Cirencester, the first 15 miles which is non-navigational will be covered on foot followed by 135 miles of flat water paddling incorporating 45 locks on the non-tidal section and then through 65 miles of tidal river beyond the Thames barrier and out into the estuary to finish at Sheerness, just beyond Southend. We plan to do the event over 7 days starting on 15^th August 2010 covering an average of 30 miles in just over 6 hours of endurance per day. 

Training is well underway with the first 6 weeks of gym work behind us thanks to the support of the local Whittlebury Hall Leisure Club and with the improvement in the weather I am now frequently seen on Willen Lake, Milton Keynes with the support of Whitecap Leisure. Having never sat in a kayak in my life before April this year I have successfully completed my One Star and Two Star BCU. I now have my own boat and plan to travel accros the country at weekends for the longer training paddles. 

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You can follow my training and ultimately the challenge on my twitter account "TowcesterTea"