CHARITY
CHALLENGE
Kayaking for 24 hours on the Dee !
We did it ! 24 hours of kayaking on the River Dee to raise money for three brilliant charities !
Words : Del Read Photos : Allan Potts , Amanda Macken , Tom Clare & Del Read
Five friends and I took on a mammoth challenge on the weekend of the 6th- 7th August 2022 . Kayaking down the River Dee in north Wales ( Horseshoe to Town Falls ) and back up the Llangollen canal for 24 hours straight . We paddled over 100km in total and have raised over £ 5500 for Young Minds , Rainbows Hospice and Air Ambulance . This article is a more detailed account of the challenge ! You can still donate through our JustGiving page if you would like to .
DECIDING ON THE CHALLENGE In 2021 James Ibbotson ( Ibbo ) and I took on a 24-hour kayaking challenge on our home river of the Trent to raise money for Mind . It was a challenging but great experience , and we raised a lot of money . So , when Ibbo asked me to join him on another 24-hour challenge , I said yes ! We wanted another challenge which would allow us to be selfsufficient if we needed it ( i . e ., no shuttles required ), and the Dee was the perfect option .
We asked two of our friends , Jake Boswell and Niamh Macken , to join us , who readily agreed . After announcing our challenge , Lowri Davies got in touch to say that she had been planning a similar challenge on the Dee ! We joined forces with both Lowri and Aaron Kendall to make a dream team of six .
Niamh Macken , Aaron Kendall , Lowri Davies , Jake Boswell , James Ibbotson and Del Read by Tom Clare
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