I decided to raise money for W.O.R.K. Kenya by rowing a small tender dinghy in order to raise money for Widows and Orphans in Rural Kenya (W.O.R.K. Kenya). Mary-Jane had spoken to our church about the need for a new children’s ward and I felt that this was a way that I could help towards this.

My aim was to row about 35 miles over a period of a few days, covering some of the main estuaries in South Devon i.e. the Yealm; the Plym; Kingsbridge; the Avon; the Dart and the Exe.  I completed this with the help of my husband who saw me off one end and waited for me at the other with a flask of tea and a hot water bottle! The weather was varied and a few times I had a strong wind against tide which made it rather choppy but on 2 occasions I was accompanied by a seal that swam part of the way with me. On the last stage, I collected my 2 whippet dogs who accompanied me up to Kingsbridge quay, although they kept trying to jump on my lap which made steering the oars difficult.

I chose this challenge in memory of my mum who died last month and my dad who died 18 months ago. I was blessed to have been brought up on boats and spent a lot of my childhood rowing around estuaries and harbours. My mum was a nurse and spent a number of years in challenging environments in Israel e.g. Nablus, Hebron and Gaza.  Similarly, the small health clinic in rural Kenya faces many challenges and it will make a big difference for them to have a suitable place for the sick children.

I would like to thank everyone for their support.

David Wright