Charity Kayak To Raise Money For Local Athlete
Three day event for Russ Dawkins who was badly injured last year
A three-day charity kayak begins today ( Sept 19) to raise money on behalf of Russ Dawkins, who suffered a life changing accident while cycling with friends in the Gorge du Verdons in the South of France last year.
A group of his cycling friends - some of whom have never kayaked before now- are underway on the Devizes-Westminster route- one which Russ, an avid kayaker had competed in many times.
Russ pictured with some of his friends
They plan to raise money for a new charity, ‘The Back on Track Trust’, which has been created by Russ, to help support him and others who suffer from spinal injuries and everyone affected by them. Although Russ has made a remarkable recovery, he still has to face a new life in a wheelchair. He had been actively riding with his group of friends since 2009, each year embarking on a three-day European trip, when the accident happened in 2013.
The Richmond Canoe Club has helped the group to prepare and allowed them use of their kayaks for the challenge. A dry run was completed earlier this month.
The event will take place September 19 – 21. You can follow their progress and background on twitter And true to form, Russ will be along for the event cycling the 125 mile towpath on his hand cycle. So far they have raised over £6,000. Local Olympian rower James Cracknell has also tweeted his support.
Details of Russ’s rehabilitation and the trust can be found here:www.russelldawkinsbackontrack.co.uk/about/
A spokesman for the group said: "We appreciate that some may feel apprehensive donating to a new trust and prefer to give to an established spinal injury charity with wider focus. Alternative donations will be welcome for ‘The Back-Up Trust’ charity whose mission is, ’to inspire people with spinal injury to transform their lives’, by providing services that include mentoring, wheelchair skills training and activity courses as well as support in getting back to work or school after an injury. All services help to build confidence and independence and provide a supportive network of people who understand."
September 19, 2014