Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please dig deep and sponsor me online.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Cancer Link Aberdeen & North will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

My name is Bruce Low and I want to raise money for a cancer support charity

www.clanhouse.org

But what is it that I want to do? Basically I am going to travel the length of The Amazon River, from its source 150 miles from the Pacific Ocean, in the Andean mountains of Peru, across the South American continent, to the Atlantic Ocean, some 6,800Km or 4,225 Miles later. It will start in September 2008 and take about 6 months to complete.

MY WEBSITE        www.raftheamazon.blogspot.com

I will walk to the source on Mount Mismi, then travel the main Tributary (Rio Apurimac), through some difficult and wild river conditions for about 500 miles (see the film on the right). The Apurimac is joined by many other river before it is called The Amazon, and after hitting the flat water (about 3 monts, and 800 miles later), its plane sailing for the next 3,500 miles of flat water!

 

Why?

I have several reasons why I am doing this. The most important are:

1. I have known many people who have had, and survived cancers of many types, also people who have not survived. Some of these people have been my immediate family, and others friends, some have only been acquaintances, or who I met briefly and then heard later of their situation. All of them have affected me. The biggest was when both my parents had different types of the disease. My father passed on after 4 years of lung cancer. My mother has been in remission from Leukemia for 5 years, and is in great shape. A large part of this has been down to the support she received from CLAN. She now puts that back by being a volunteer for CLAN.

2. Its now my turn to put something back for all the support my mother got, and with that support CLAN have also supported me, and the rest of our family. CLAN also goes on to support many people directly with counseling and alternative therapies. The knock on affect of this support is also huge. As with my family, the support goes wider than the individual who is being directly helped, through counseling, massage, somewhere to stay, or just by being there to visit and have coffee with someone who has/is going through something similar, and this support is passed down to the people connected to whoever is supported by CLAN.

A very important thing is that CLAN also directly supports the carers of sufferers. They too can go and find aid directly from the charity. You don’t need to have a cancer to be supported.

These are my motivations for wanting to get some money for CLAN

But what is my reason for wanting to travel such a long distance? Well……..

 

I work in the outdoors. I have always been involved in activities in the outdoors, especially in water.
I first stepped into a kayak in 1980 (I think, it was a long time ago). I have been mucking about in boats, on rivers ever since.Since 1989 I have worked and traveled as raft guide and kayaker in many parts of the world, and I will always be connected to that in one way or another. So, what better way of putting my skills to good use? Also where better to do it than on the largest river in the world…….after all how hard can it be?

What am I looking for,from YOU?.......DONATIONS, DONATIONS, DONATIONS

Money……ideally I am looking for as many people to donate as much cash as possible. CLAN needs to rebuid because they are going to build a road over it. The current building was remodeled especially for their use, but because of a new road they HAVE to move, so money that could support people will be spent on a new building. Please help the support to carry on.

There are various ways of donating.

• The easiest is on this website.

• If you see a collecting can, put some cash in it. There special points planned for several areas near you….just keep your eyes open!

• There will also be events happening in Vancouver, Canada (as I am working there until April 2008) and my home in Aberdeen, UK. Then in Calgary, Canada (when I return to work in May 2008)

If you know of any organisation or company that can aid in the cost of getting there and back, or attaining equipment, please get in touch .

                           lowbruce@yahoo.co.uk

• A cataraft cost is $2,200 http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1116&deptid=1132

  http://aire.com/AIRE/jag.shtml

• A cataraft frame costs between$800 and$1200 http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1053

            http://aire.com/AIRE/accessories-frames.shtml

• Oars

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1057

http://aire.com/AIRE/accessories-oar.shtml

• Oar locks

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=981

http://aire.com/AIRE/accessories-oar.shtml

•    Camping and hiking equipment
    http://www.haglofs.se/

Air Flights…….Again this is a large expense. At the moment I’ll be heading to Peru from either Calgary or somewhere in the UK. If this is sponsored I think it should be from a corporate sponsor as it is a lot of cash, and the prices below don’t even cater for the weight of the gear that I’ll have to ship down there.
•    From the UK its about 1000GBP for a return ticket
•    From Canada the cost is about 1400 USD again that’s a return

If you are donating equipent please get in touch with me directly lowbruce@yahoo.co.uk

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.

Bruce Low
lowbruce@yahoo.co.uk
www.raftheamazon.blogspot.com