Carolyn and Philare stand up paddle boarding 50km Lincoln to Boston on sunday 8th october 2023 for 2 charities , Annabelle's Challenge for veds and RNLI in memory of Watty.

I ,Carolyn have vascular eds and im living with the ticking time bomb , my brother also has vascular eds . In May 2021 my dad died from vascular eds and since then life has been hard (i carnt type what i really want to put ). Ive lost friends to vascular eds over the short time ive been diagnosed and the veds community are amazing , we are rare and there is no cure , in the uk there is around 330 of us diagnosed with veds . Vascular ehlers danlos is rare and there is no treatment or cure , or artreys and organs are prone to ruptures , we dont even have to be doing anything and a for a rupture to happen.

Due to vascular eds this 50km sup challenge could kill me or i could have major complications but im ready to smash this out and raise much needed awareness and money .

We have chosen the RNLI because me and Phil send alot of time in and around water , Phil sup surfs too and i sea swim this year though its in memory of a man called Watty , i personally didnt know him but i know his wife , i sea dip/swim with her and Sandra has done so much for me , a little back story when my dad died i took up sea swimming and i met Sandra through mutual friends and over time we now go in the sea on a almost weekly basis together , through grief a friendship has formed .

A little about Watty

On 1st October Richard Watson (Watty) was killed in a road traffic accident. Watty’s main passion was Skegness Lifeboat. After some time as a shore helper he became a crew member in 1987 and after 32 years of service he finally retired in 2019. His lifeboat service record shows he started as a shore helper in 1986, became a crew member on the inshore lifeboat in 1987 and was Senior Helmsman of this boat when he finally reached the age limit for the inshore in 2008.

Watty became a crew member for the All Weather Lifeboat in 1991 and served as navigator, deputy 2nd Coxswain, 2nd Coxswain and eventually held the role of Coxswain from 2017 - 2019. He also spent time volunteering at Tower Pier on the Thames from 2002-2003 whilst continuing to volunteer at Skegness. His RNLI service record shows that he “rescued 246 lives from shipwreck”. Watty was a very humble man with regard to his long service with the RNLI despite his outgoing jovial persona in normal life.

so please if you can support us and two amazing charities we would really appreciate it xx