Hi Guys,

Most of you all know me but here's the story in case not! I had a spinal cord injury (SCI) as a result of a scuba accident back in '09 leaving me paralysed from about my sternum down (T4). I went through many months of rehabilitation in the early stages to allow me to adapt to life with my "new" body. It was during this time I met volunteers and staff from Back Up, a charity who help individuals with SCI throughout the UK, who taught me valuable wheelchair skills which serve as fundamental building blocks to be as independent and active as possible in all walks of life as a wheelchair user. From there they supported me further to try new things, for example, adaptive skiing in America. Without charities like Back Up, the journey through dealing with and acceptance of SCI would be a lot, lot tougher and I am forever thankful they were there for practical support throughout my rehab. I  for one will never forget the impact they had on me and the impact they have on so many others. 

As Back Up receives no government funding and as its always nice to give back, we have opted to take on this challenge to raise funds so please support mine and one of my closest friend, Erling's crazy adventure by donating what you can to what i can assure you from personal experience is a very worthwhile and just cause.

Now for a little about the challenge itself! We will spend 4 full days kayaking from where the canal joins Fort William on the west coast of Scotland, to Inverness in the east. The trail covers a total of 60 miles, including 22 miles of canal and 4 natural freshwater lochs, and Loch Ness. We will be travelling in a double kayak with one wheelchair user (yours truly) in the kayak accompanied by an able-bodied companion (Erling), crossing lochs, negotiating the water and weather, and staying in campsites along the route.Across all the teams participating, please help us to raise £15,000 to support Back Up! This money will be used to help transform the lives of people affected by spinal cord injury across the UK.