On Friday 26th November a group of residents from Kimpton, Thruxton and Fyfield embarked on a 24 hour Indoor Rowing Challenge in aid of Abby’s Heroes.
The aim of the charity is to help and support children and their families who come under the care of the Piam Brown and the Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA) wards in Southampton General Hospital. The catchment for these wards covers the south of England as it is a centre of excellence for children’s oncology. They aim to offer financial and practical help and importantly, the opportunity to make lasting memories for the children, young adults and their families.
The crew made up of Karen Todd, Neil Coleman, Anton Scott, Adam Hemsley, Callum Jackman, Hannah Taplin, Andy Lapsley, James Griffiths and Rick Smart took it in turns to row 30 minute sessions continuously for 24 hours. In total the crew managed to row 184 miles with Callum Jackman leading the way with an individual 35 miles. The crew were also lucky enough to be joined by youngsters Cody Hemsley (aged 16) and Indy Hemsley (aged 10) who managed an impressive 11 miles and 3.5 miles respectively. Thanks to many generous donations the crew managed to raise £848 for the Charity.
In addition to the 24 hour event Rick Smart also set himself a “Rowvember” Challenge which was to row the 220 mile length of the River Severn and the 36 mile length of the River Anton and Test to Southampton where the Charity is based. Rick managed to raise £1512 making a combined total of £2360 for Abby’s Heroes.
Rick said “I wanted to do a Charity Challenge and when a local family contacted me to say how amazing Abby’s Heroes had been in supporting their 14 year daughter, it seemed an obvious choice. The generosity of local residents, friends and family has been overwhelming and I am thrilled with the amount raised. It was fantastic that so many residents took part in the 24 hour event and again the support was simply amazing.
“I was so impressed when Indy and Cody arrived at 7am Saturday morning keen to help out – who says kids stay in bed all weekend. It was brilliant to see youngsters wanting to get involved and they really pushed themselves as did the rest of the crew who were all amazing. Thank you to everyone who supported the event.”
