Wellesbourne And Shakespeare Lions Clubs In £10,000 Row

On a warm summer’s day back in June the River Avon was alive with rafters who rowed, paddled and in some cases pedalled their home made rafts downstream from Wasperton to the Recreation Ground in Stratford as part of Wellesbourne & District and Shakespeare Lions Clubs annual Raft Race.

Following an equally busy summer of fundraising and collecting sponsorship for this years nominated charity, Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND) the presentation of trophies to class winners and cheques to MND and the safety and support crews took place last week at the Presentation Night held at FISSC, Tiddington .

A big cheque for £10,000 was presented by Lions Clubs’ Presidents to Rowan Marshall-Rowan representing the local Coventry & Warwickshire Group of MND. A further £1000 was also shared between St John Ambulance, Warwick and Stratford Sub Aqua Clubs, Newbold Sea Scouts, Birmingham Canoe Club, Police and Fire Service Benevolent Funds.

The arduous course proved yet again to be a test of the skills of the raft designers and their builders, but more importantly on the day the motivation and dogged will to finish the seven mile route. This meant negotiating two weirs at Hampton Lucy and Alveston and avoiding obstacles like the deer booms in Charlecote Park usually in place to keep the deer from crossing the river but providing the rafters with yet another challenge.

The lightweight streamlined four man crew “Fastest Formula One Raft” which completed the course in 1hour 15 minutes was entered by Patricks Gulpers from Leominster, Herefordshire who proved for another year that they are the invincible F1 Team to be beaten; they have been the winners of the SONA Cup so many times that even Jenson Button is envious.

However,”The Endurance Shield’ for outstanding guts and determination was presented to Shirley Harris from Sheldon Lions Club and her crew of “Someweir over the Rainbow” who were so determined to finish that after a very shaky start decided to tie their raft together with another raft, then they lost a crew member suffering from cold and exposure after the first weir but after struggling on down the Avon finally came in after a row of seven and a quarter hours!

Thanking the rafters and their supporters, MND local organiser, Rowan Marshall-Rowan praised them for the fantastic sum of £10,000 raised in the face of the recession and credit crunch which will mean so much more in the way of support for patients and their families of this fatal and little understood disease which claims five lives every day.

Lion Cliff Lowe Raft Race Chairman, of Wellesbourne & District Lions Club said, ” Wellesbourne and Shakespeare Lions Clubs are delighted with the £10K raised by the Rafters. This year is the 30th Anniversary of the MND Association so the Lions Raft Race has given a tremendous boost to their fundraising across Coventry and Warwickshire, and it was especially rewarding that Susan Passmore, MND Regional Fundraiser, was awarded the Trophy for “The Person who contributed most to The Event”. Following an outstanding presentation to the two Lions Clubs in 2008 she sprang into action attending every meeting, which meant driving from Staffordshire, supporting the Lions with administration, publicising the Raft Race on radio and in the press, and meeting and greeting every crew at the Start and Finish Fields encouraging and explaining how their sponsorship would be used.”

It is estimated that 5,000 people in the UK are affected by Motor Neurone Disease for which, as yet, there is no effective treatment and no known cure. It has claimed the lives of celebrities such as actor David Niven, footballer Don Revie and journalist Jill Tweedie. Professor Stephen Hawking is exceptional in having survived with MND for forty years. (Details about MND www.susan.passmore@mndassociation.org)