261 Cowley Road

Oxford

OX4 1XQ

16 January 2013

Dear Friends and Family, 

In the immortal words of Lord Sebastian Coe, “there is a truth to sport, a purity, a drama, an intensity; a spirit that makes it irresistible to take part in and irresistible to watch.” The greatest year of sport in British history has inspired us to compete on the international stage in order to raise money to significantly improve the lives of young people suffering with Type 1 Diabetes. As a team, we are embracing our life-long ambition to do an extraordinary challenge that is feared world-wide by tackling The Devizes to Westminster International Kayak Marathon in aid of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The Devizes to Westminster International Kayak Race is one of the most demanding endurance events on the planet. It starts in Devizes, Wiltshire and finishes just downstream of Westminster Bridge in central London and has been held annually over the Easter Weekend since 1948. The race is 125 miles long, has 77 portages and we are aiming to complete it in just 24 hours. The first 52 miles are along the Kennet and Avon Canal to Reading and the remaining 73 miles are on the River Thames to Westminster Bridge. The race is a severe physical and mental test of determination, skill and stamina, which would not be achievable without the selfless commitment of our support crew: Olly Faire, Hugo Glover, Harry Carr-Ellison, Pete Henriques and Sam Davies.

The JDRF was founded in 1986 and has raised over £1 billion worldwide on its dedicated mission to fund scientific research into a cure specifically targeted at Type 1 Diabetes in young people. We cannot stress enough the crucial importance of every penny you contribute to raise vital funds towards finding a cure for the millions of young sufferers in the UK struck by the chronic, life-threatening strains of the disease, which has a life-long impact on its victims and their families.

Type 1 Diabetes has been dubbed as the ‘biggest global health challenge of the 21 century’ and annually 10% of the NHS budget is devoted to diabetes, which equates to £286 per second. The disease normally strikes people below the age of 25 and has a staggering strike rate with one new diabetic diagnosed every three minutes. The disease cripples its victims by destroying the insulin distributing cells in the pancreas subjecting them to a life-long dependence on insulin by injection. Since George’s diagnosis, he’s given himself more than 29,000 injections and done over 35,000 blood tests. Your generosity will fund research into the ‘closed-loop artificial pancreas’, which will mean no more injections and no more blood tests. In addition to a seriously affected lifestyle, restrained by dietary and nutritional limitations, as it matures, the disease has detrimental ulterior health impacts such as, heart disease, blindness, brain disease and a 20 year shorter lifespan than the average person. In the UK, more than 3.5 million people have Diabetes and it causes 300 heart attacks per week.

This shuddering empirical evidence is enough to convince anyone about the horrific circumstances which this disease inflicts. We are unbelievably lucky to have the best support possible, but some are not so lucky. It is our team objective to give everything we can to help these sufferers, to improve lives and to make a difference. Please dig deep.

Lots of love,

 

George Kirkpatrick and Rory McGrath