This year Val and I are both going to take part in the sponsored row from Oxford to Kingston. This is the 3rd time I have done it but Val's first. In order not to be left out of the Howard family's obsession with accepting a challenge, she took up rowing last October. Usually we do the sponsored row in state of the art (well almost) rowing boats. However this year, just to make it more of a challenge we are rowing it in Skalava'gr (see photo). Please note the very narrow oars and heavy wooden frame when deciding how much you are going to sponsor us!.

So far this year Skalava'gr has been rowed by Kingston Grammar School Veterans (including me) in the Jubilee Pageant and behind Gloriana carrying the Olympic Flame. The money raised will be shared between our own boathouse and Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. The boathouse is undergoing a refurbishment in order to add to the facilities used by both the school and the veterans. Kingston Grammar School Boat Club has produced Olympic rowers, GB rowers and England rowers (Including Andrew), despite being a small school. This year Sophie Hosking got a gold medal in the womens double skulls and in 2000 and 2004 James Cracknell also won gold medals. With improved facilities KGS will be a big part of the Olympic legacy.

Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research is the sole British charity dedicated to research into blood cancers. Its life-saving research is focused on finding causes, improving diagnosis and treatments, and running groundbreaking clinical trials for all blood cancer patients.

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