The Injured Soldiers’ Atlantic Rowing Challenge
14 Days to the transatlantic row – Funds raised to date: £509,750!
Row2recovery, (a bold new project to raise money for Help for Heroes, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and ABF – The soldiers’ Charity) raised in excess of £100,000 at spectacular London dinner attended by over 350 guests at the Royal Horticultural Society on November 14. The London fundraising dinner was specifically timed to give supporters of Row2Recovery a chance to bid farewell to the guys as well as to raise more funds for this worthy cause.
Hosted by charismatic TV Historian Dan Snow, guests were entertained by British Paralympic heroine Baroness Tanni Grey-Thomson, DBE and Chairman of England Cricket Selectors, Geoff Miller, as well as the brave crew taking on the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. The guests took part in a live silent auction during a sumptuous three course dinner washed down with Talisker Whisky. The dinner, supported by the Salamanca Group, was a resounding success for the charity and the party continued late into the night.
Row2Recovery is the brainchild of three former British Army commanders who trained together at Sandhurst and saw extensive combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ed Janvrin, Alex Mackenzie and Tony Harris witnessed friends and comrades sustain life-changing injuries, while Tony lost his left leg when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated under his vehicle in May 2009.
All three men were profoundly moved by their experiences and felt compelled to help the fallen. From this desire to help, Row2Recovery was born.
At the end of 2011, ex-captains Ed Janvrin and Alex Mackenzie along with four injured servicemen will embark on an epic 3,000 mile voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in a rowing boat.
The voyage will shine a spotlight on the extraordinary achievements of disabled people, and challenge misconceptions about what life is like for an injured solider and their family. It also aims to inspire others with life-altering injuries to realise their potential.
Decked out by Gill
Row2Recovery is proud to be sporting some of the best offshore clothing possible thanks to the generosity of Gill, who have joined the campaign as the Official Technical Clothing Supplier. Gill, whose range and expertise in offshore kit fits the needs of the Row2Recovery perfectly, will provide a full spectrum of clothing during the row.
Chairman, Nick Gill, commented: “We are proud to be associated with such a great cause and are wholly behind the courageous journey which they are about to embark on. We look forward to following the team’s progress.”
What’s next? – The crew head to La Gomera!
The courageous crew of Row2Recovery have now joined the boat in La Gomera in the Canary Islands. The boat has received a new lick of paint and has been kitted out with a state of the art system of cameras so that everyone back home can follow the team via video sent back from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
If you can’t make it to La Gomera to wave goodbye to the guys, then follow them and donate at www.row2recovery.com or post a message of support on their Facebook Page www.facebook.com/Row2Recovery
Follow the final preparations of the team via Twitter at www.twitter.com/row2recovery