A huge welcome from all of us to our Just Giving Page! We are fundraising and generating awareness for EVERY CLOUD, a Derbyshire/Staffordshire breast cancer charity by completing a challenge of a lifetime! Every Cloud supports people going through breast cancer treatment at Royal Derby or Burton Hospitals by funding special treats and experiences.

Head to our Facebook and Instagram pages @RowingAbreastChallenge to follow the fun and games of our intensive training journey!

Our Challenge

This extraordinary challenge is not for the faint-hearted! We are completing intensive six-month training with Trent Rowing Club where we train five hours each week. It requires huge amounts of dedication, motivation and determination! Here is a photo from one of our training sessions.

Ali Adams, Founder of Rowing Abreast Challenge

The Rowing Abreast challenge is the brain child of Ali Adams, a very inspirational lady, from Mickleover, Derbyshire. She is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in May 2020, who went through a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

During Ali's treatment Every Cloud charity gave her much needed support and a listening ear. Ali was determined once her treatment finished that she would give back to the charity by raising funds so they could help more people like her. Ali envisioned a fundraising team challenge that matched the mental strength, determination and endurance needed when facing any type of cancer.

Ali found inspiration for the challenge from her niece Olivia Bates who rows for Notts County Rowing Association, and is part of the GB lightweights under 23 team.

Rowing is widely considered one of the most physically demanding sports. It not only requires extreme endurance and strength, but considerable mental strength, so the ability to push yourself well past your limits is a must! So rowing was felt like the perfect challenge for us to do! Rowing Abreast is a challenge for heart, soul, mind and body! Whether we end up winning gold, falling in, or just enjoying a gentle row down the River Trent we will have one hell of a six month journey, plus raise funds for Every Cloud in the process to support them in their life changing work!

Below is Ali's personal story of her fight with breast cancer.

Here is a photo of Ali before her cancer diagnosis.

On the 15 May 2020 Ali entered a room at the breast clinic at Royal Derby Hospital to receive the news from her recent biopsy. In an instant, Ali's whole world came crashing down as she was told she had breast cancer and needed an urgent mastectomy. Ali went into shock and instant turmoil. Her first thoughts were that she had to survive this for her twins, who were just six years old.

Within around two weeks Ali had a life saving mastectomy followed by grueling chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Below is a photo of Ali after her mastectomy.

Chemotherapy made Ali exceptionally ill, and she had to undergo one session every three weeks. Ali started to lose her hair, and her twins were absolutely devastated. She stopped looking like the mummy they knew, and it emphasised how poorly Ali was; they thought she was going to die. It was heartbreaking for Ali to see how her illness was affecting her children. Below is photo of Ali during her chemo.

Finally Ali's chemotherapy came to an end and she then started the next grueling stage of her treatment which was radiotherapy. Ali went through 15 sessions over a three week period. Below is a photo of Ali going through her radiotherapy treatment.

Just over two years later, from the date of Ali's last chemotherapy, she can say she is cancer free. Ali's six monthly checks are now yearly and she is on medication for the next five to ten years.

This photo of Ali is taken towards the end of 2022.

The Team

Our team range in age, from 30s to our early 60s and are either breast cancer survivors, or their supporters. They are Ali, Sharon, Andi, Kim, Amy, Chandree, Amy, Alyssum, Rachel and Jon. All of them have their own personal stories and motivation for wanting to take on this challenge. Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to hear more about them!

Here is a photo of some of our team and trainers visiting Mecca Bingo Burton. Mecca Bingo are our MAIN SPONSOR for this challenge, and have kindly sponsored our team kits.

The photo below is of Ali's niece, Oliva Bates, the inspiration behind our Rowing Abreast challenge, winning a silver medal at the 2021 European Rowing Under 23 Championships.

Daisy, Team Mascot

No team is complete without a mascot, so we are excited to have the delightful Daisy as ours! She is a busy girl as she is also a Therapy Dog for Sam's Superheroes (a local Derbyshire charity). Her mum, Rachel, is part of our rowing team. Daisy sometimes joins our training sessions and hitches a ride in the safety boat! She loves swimming and sees herself as our unofficial Rescue Dog, but also keeps one eye open for the ducks and swans!!!

Our Partner, Trent Rowing Club

Ali knew this was a challenge we needed professional help with. We found this in our amazing partner, TRENT ROWING CLUB (TRC) based in Burton-on-Trent. TRC have a rich history of sporting excellence, together with promoting and supporting a family atmosphere and inclusivity in sport. Anyone is welcome to participate no matter what your ability, age, or fitness level. This made TRC an ideal partner for Every Cloud and our Rowing Abreast Challenge.

For more information on TRC go to www.trentrc.org.

Our Training

The training is unbelievably intensive! We are training five hours per week for six months! Our training consists of ergs (rowing machines), running, core workouts, and getting on the river in the boats to learn the art of rowing! You won't believe how narrow these boats are and any slight movement makes them wobble and feels like you will capsize!! We now realise the importance of having a strong core!

These photos are from our training sessions. Its hard work, challenging but we have fun! We have had some close calls with the bushes at the side of the river and a couple of capsizes! Head to our Facebook and Instagram pages @RowingAbreastChallenge to follow the fun and games of our training journey!

Every Cloud

Ali met a local breast cancer charity called Every Cloud during her illness who are a Staffordshire and Derbyshire charity, established in 2014. The support people going through breast cancer treatment at either Royal Derby or Burton Hospitals, by funding a special treat or experience. This can range from swimming lessons, gym membership, special meals and breaks away.

Every Cloud supported Ali and her twins by funding a much needed holiday giving them respite and allowing them precious time to make special memories.

More details on Every Cloud charity can be found on their website everycloudcharity.co.uk and their Facebook page @EveryCloudCharity.

Our Sponsors

This challenge would not be possible without our generous sponsors who are helping fund our kit, rowing fees and entry costs for the regatta. We are extremely grateful for their generosity and belief in us. Our MAIN SPONSOR is MECCA BINGO, who have funded our rowing kit. Below is a photo of some of our team visiting Mecca Bingo Burton and meeting Jess the General Manager of the club. A full list of business sponsors who have made this challenge possible are:

Mecca Bingo, NG Chartered Surveyors, Green Blooms, Sam's Superheroes, Don Amott Leisure Group and Every Cloud

Burton Regatta

Burton Regatta weekend is an annual historic rowing event which takes place on the River Trent. The event was first held in 1865 and is organised by the Burton Regatta Association. Rowing clubs from around the UK take part and the event is a fun and rewarding weekend for the local community. Our team of ladies will be racing on the weekend of Saturday 8 July to Sunday 9 July, and will be rowing an 1,100 meter course on the Saturday.

For general information about Burton Regatta click here: Burton Regatta. The photo below gives further details.

For more details on the actual event click here: Burton Regatta 8 July 2023

Thank you for reading our page, and we truly appreciate any size of donation, no matter how big or small.

With love,

The Rowing Abreast Challenge Team