I am battling the flow of the Thames to its source - hoping to be the first person ever to do so by kayak. We currently have the Guiness World Records team assessing our application. This wont be easy! Its 200 miles, AGAINST the flow of the river! According to our research and Guinness themselves, this challenge has not been completed or even attempted before. So we may be making a little bit of history here! Why not join us to be a part of it by giving what you can?

What will you be donating to? Well, we've all seen whats happening in Syria - its heart-breaking. Most of us feel incredibly frustrated that such things go on in the world and that we can do little or nothing to stop it. We feel powerless.

So I wanted to help by putting something good into this horrendous situation. It will be a small token compared to what needs to be done, but it will make a difference. The money raised here will be used to pay for medical care for Syrians displaced by the civil war and those caught in the warzone. The charity that I have chosen (Médecins Sans Frontières) are currently able to reach the remote areas of Syria that many other charities are unable to. They have brave, expert doctors and nurses, secret field hospitals, and specialised all-terrain ambulances. Alongside this emergency medical care, they provide both urgent and routine medical aid to the millions of Syrians displaced to huge refugee camps and neighbouring countries.

I have also chosen Médecins Sans Frontières because they spend much less on admin & salaries than the other charities I researched (just 4% of donations). They also make a point of keeping expenses low by sharing budget hotel rooms and spending frugally while on missions abroad. They spend less on fundraising too, so you can be safe in the knowledge your money is going to aid those in need, not paying for a free charity pen for someone to throw in the bin!

PLEASE HELP! I have long wanted to complete this challenge of kayaking to the source of the Thames (a distance of some 200 miles, against the flow of the river) and it has been a colossal effort to fund, plan and arrange it. Please help me make it all worthwhile by contributing as much as you can to those in need.

The cost of the kayak, support boat and necessary equipment has been covered by myself and my team-mate Jason Penny. We have a small amount of money left for food and fuel. PLEASE donate a small amount separately to our supplies fund if you can, as we do not currently have enough food & fuel to complete the trip! Our paypal account email is integrale16v@hotmail.co.uk - we would be very grateful for any donations. Please send a message with your donation so we know who it is from and in order that it is clear what it is for.

Our internet services on the boat have been provided by BuzzConnect, who have kindly donated one of their Hubba 3G Broadband Routers for us to use to promote the challenge online as we go. We chose it because its a lot better than a dongle for mobile broadband, upto 10 times faster - http://www.buzzconnect.co.uk/hubba/

Our promotional banners for the side of the boat have been paid for by Skip It - one of London's cheapest and most efficient rubbish clearance companies. I can personally vouch for them having used them myself. We are incredibly grateful for this very generous donation as the banners were very expensive. http://central-waste.co.uk/

Thanks for reading!

Alexander Silver Darter

NB:

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and completely secure. Your details are safe – they’ll never sell them on or send annoying emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. Médecins Sans Frontières prefer justgiving.com, which is why I have chosen this site. ASD.