How to Use Your Local Canal to Raise £5000
Can you imagine taking on a 50 mile Quadrathon along the Grand Union Canal from Harefield to Milton Keynes? That’s what four colleagues from the IWA head office will do on the 5th April! Toby Gomm, Stephanie Pay, Gemma Bolton and Jenny Black hope to raise £5000, which is 20% of the cost of a new small excavator. They are calling it "The Acheman Challenge"!
IWA's Waterway Recovery Group’s old excavator was recently donated to the Buckingham Canal Society. The new 2.5 tonne excavator will help volunteers with their restoration work as well as allowing other waterway societies to take on renovation work without the expense of commercial plant hire. The new excavator, a trailer and other vital accompanying equipment will cost an estimated £30,000. Most of the funding can be met by legacies already received, but further finance must still be raised.
The Acheman Challenge is so named as a respectful nod to one of IWA’s founders, Robert Aickman, acknowledging the “aches” that the team expect to experience during the challenge! 2014 is the centenary of Robert Aickman’s birth.
The team expect to spend between 10 and 12 hours on the Grand Union including 40 miles cycling, locking the Marsworth flight, running for six miles and canoeing for three miles.
Boaters and canal-lovers can support the challenge by sponsoring them on line by text by phone or by cheque. Full details are on the IWA website
What waterways charities do you support? Spring is a great time to set yourself a fundraising challenge! If you too fancy locking the Marsworth flight find out how to learn about locks without even buying a boat.
Image credit: IWA website
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