Punting the 200 miles from Oxford to Cambridge is no simple feat. Why are we doing this?

September is world Alzheimer’s month, dedicated to raising awareness about the millions of lives affected by Alzheimer’s, and to the effort of finding a cure. Most of us will be in some way affected by the tragedy of Alzheimer’s and dementia in our lives, as some members of the crew already are. Therefore, we’re setting out to raise £5000 by punting about as far as we can, hoping that the ridiculousness of our challenge will spread the message of Alzheimer’s Society to people young and old.

The challenge: Oxford to Cambridge by water

The most direct (puntable) waterway connection between the two great Universities takes a roundabout route of 200 miles through Northampton, Peterborough, and Ely. On September 23rd, we will begin our journey northward on the Oxford canal, reaching the Grand Union canal and Northampton by day 4/5. Then, around day 8 we hope to have reached Peterborough on the Nene, and begun to make progress towards Ely and the Ouse. On our final day, we will set out from Ely and join the river Cam, heading into college from Jesus lock on the weekend of the 3rd/4th October.

This route has some history. Twice before have intrepid (or foolish) students made the odyssey by punt. First in 2004, a group of Oxford students punted to Cambridge. Then, in 2010, students of our own college did the same in reverse, in aid of Help for Heroes. With some advice from our 2010 forebears we have planned our journey. They slept most nights in the punt, which we are hoping to avoid as often as we can!

The mile-long tunnel at Braunston, the pennywort rafts blocking the Cam, the lack of tow-path along much of the Nene, and the frightful rush of water in each lock are but some of the challenges ahead of us [any knowledgeable advice is very welcome].

Alzheimer’s Society and our college, St. John’s

Our college and Alzheimer’s Society share a symbol, the forget-me-not. The enigmatic motto of our foundress, Lady Margaret Beaufort, matriarch of the wars or the roses, is “Souvent me souvient”. This cryptic middle-French may be translated as “Remember me often”, giving rise to the forget-me-not as a college flower. The blue blossoms adorn the ceilings and plasterwork of many buildings in college.

Beyond this, our most recent Master, Sir Christopher Dobson, was a titan of Alzheimer’s research, credited with the discovery that ordinary proteins may misfold into amyloid aggregates - a likely cause of Alzheimer’s. In 2012, Chris Dobson founded the Centre for Misfolding Diseases, an Alzheimer’s research building in the university Chemistry Department (where I did my Master’s project), and Wren Therapeutics, a company focused on the chemical basis of Alzheimer’s medicines. Sadly, Chris Dobson passed away whilst Master in 2019, and so this journey is also very much in his memory.

Alzheimer’s Society is Britain’s leading dementia charity, for both support and research. The scientific work funded by the charity, following in the legacy of our former Master, has every hope of reducing the impact of dementia and Alzheimer’s year by year. The charity offers dementia support lines, forums, local services, and support resources for families and sufferers. Every donation has such a beautiful and enormous impact.

Please sponsor us

The beautiful impact of Alzheimer’s Society is reason enough to donate. We will be posting daily updates of our journey and adventure to our instragram, facebook, and blog - links below. Every donation fuels our determination and courage in the face of 264 hours trapped together in 6 m2 of punt.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puntingforalzheimers/

Facebook: @puntingforalzheimers

Daily Blog: https://puntingforalzheimers.blogspot.com/

We will be updating all these accounts regularly!

Thank you so much,

Ryan, Beth, Stefan, and Charles