PADDLER 38
PADDLER 38
hands on deck to ensure the day ran as smoothly as possible. By 17:30, hundreds of paddlers from across the UK and the world and Bren’ s close friends and family gathered at Horseshoe Falls on the Dee. Words were shared by Bren’ s mum, David from Pyranha and Bren’ s friend Adrian before paddlers had the opportunity to write a note and share something that Bren had taught them. Everyone then got onto the water to share some class joy from Horseshoe to Mile End Mill. It was incredible to be a part of this event and honour a very special person. Bren’ s impact will be felt for years to come, and it was a testament to the person he was that so many people came out to honour him.
30 RIVERS FOR MY 30TH BIRTHDAY AND FINDING MY KAYAKING MOJO AGAIN!
In June, I turned 30! Eek! I still feel 20 at heart, so I’ m not sure where that decade has gone! I decided in January to try and aim to paddle 30 different rivers in the year I turned 30. I didn’ t manage it, but I did manage to get on 20 different white water rivers over the year and spend many repeated days on those rivers and more.
More importantly, I found my kayaking mojo again! In 2023, I had been quite ill and needed to take some
DEL CLARE HTTPS:// DELKAYAKS. CO. UK @ DEL _ LIKES _ KAYAKING TOM CLARE @ TOMCLAREMEDIA
Kayaking happiness on the Orchy! Photo: Tom Clare
time off the river to recover. Getting my fitness back and returning to my usual river-running active self was quite a journey in itself, but I got there! I wrote a blog about the journey: https:// delkayaks. co. uk / 2024 / 04 / 03 / i-am-really-happy-right-now-andloving-kayaking /. Essentially, I got my fitness back; I focused on experiencing joy days on the water, and in doing so, I found happiness again. I didn’ t manage 30 different rivers, but I managed far more than 30 river days, and that meant the world to me!
Bren at Park Jam in 2023. Photo: Tom Clare