Over the weekend of 22-23 September, Tom and I will be rowing more than 80 miles down the Thames as part of a joint Lady Eleanor Holles and Hampton School sponsored row, in aid of Shooting Star Chase, our local children’s hospice.

The whole weekend will be a mammoth team effort, involving rowers, coaches and parent volunteers.We will be joining the senior LEH and Hampton School rowing squads, along with a number of their parents to row from Radley, near Oxford to the school boathouse in Hampton – involving 120+ rowers, a flotilla of 20+ boats, rowing 12+ hours a day and passing through 28 locks.

This is a significant undertaking and a real challenge. Rowing 80 miles is no mean feat even for a fit, coordinated and youthful rower like Tom. It’s particularly daunting however for the parent novices and somewhat rusty, old rowers like myself; who signed up in a moment of altruism and/or nostalgia after a few Pimms at the boat club summer BBQ!

We’re aiming to raise enough to pay for a care nurse for an entire year for Shooting Star Chase, which provides invaluable hospice care for babies and children with life limiting conditions. For more about the charity’s incredible work pleasevisit http://www.shootingstarchase.org.uk

Tom and I are really looking forward to the challenge. Aching limbs, blistered hands and sore backsides are inevitable, but a small price to pay for such a worthy cause. Please help us support our local children’s hospice by digging deep and sponsoring our efforts.  Your sponsorship will make a massive difference to the lives of the children supported by Shooting Star Chase.