At Easter 1995, The Sunday Times wrote: "To complete the DW, you need the speed of a racehorse, the stamina of a carthorse, and the brains of a rocking horse."

The Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race starts in Devizes, Wiltshire and finishes just downstream of in , opposite the Houses of Parliament. The race has been held annually over the Easter Weekend since 1948. The race is 125 miles long and has 77 portages. The first 52 miles are along the Kennet and , the next 55 miles are on the River Thames and the final section is on the tidal portion of the   

Travelling for 125 miles in kayak or canoe from Devizes to pushes competitors to their physical and mental limits. As one of the most physically demanding events, DW tests the very best kayakers, yet it is open to all. Racing in a (two man Kayak) this is a NON STOP event, taking anywhere up to 24hrs to complete paddling during the day and night.   We hope to finish the race in a respectable time (around 20hrs) and still be on speaking terms with each other and our support crews! (Many thanks to Cookies parents, Lorna White, John Davis and Emma Gillard).

Requiring months of training and several pre DW races the build up in itself is no mean feet. Neither Andrew nor Cookie is famed for their "stamina" when paddling kayaks. To improve this we have been spending many hours on frozen and / or flooded canals and rivers, managing to give ourselves mild hypothermia on at least one occasion! (Thanks to a few pub landlords for their generosity and to Cookies parents for coming to the rescue!). During the build up to the event we have already completed the following races; 1x13 miles , 1x17.5miles, 1x19miles, 1x23miles and 1x34 miles.

We have chosen the charity Sport Relief after being inspired by Eddie Izzard and his recent attempt to run 43 marathons in 51 days. I never would have thought that he would be providing us with sporting inspiration but hey!. All the money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help transform the lives of poor and vulnerable people,
both at home and across the world’s poorest countries.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – 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 taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - We raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.